Inauguration Day

Congratulations to Barack Obama the 44th President of the United States. His speech today did not live up to the high standards of the American people, but that is a small potato. The American public should be behind Obama in these tough times even if you do not agree with everything he does. The author of the post will certainly not agree with every decision Obama makes.

Today was also a significant day for George W. and Laura Bush, who leave the White House for the last time. Unfortunately for the now former president, he leaves office with one of the worst approval ratings of all time. Let us think about where we would be if a president any weaker than George W. were in office on September 11, 2001, let us think about all the good that was done for those afflicted by AIDS in Africa, and let us think of the fifty million people that were freed of the tyrannical rule of Saddam Hussein.

Thank you George W. Bush for your service to this country.

In other news there was a small, but noticeable blooper in the acceptance speech this afternoon. President Obama mentioned that he was the 44th American to take the oath of office. Wrong. In fact he is only the 43rd American to take the oath. He is the 44th President of the United States, but Grover Cleveland was both the 22nd and the 24th President.

ACH

Barack is Bipartisan?

Throughout the presidential campaign Barack Obama consistently spoke of being "bipartisan" and of "reaching across the aisle." Let's take a look at what has happened since the election. Two weeks ago Obama announced that he is naming Rahm Emmanuel as his Chief of Staff. Of the non-cabinet appointees the Chief of Staff has the most power of anyone in the White House. Let's take a look at Rahm Emmanuel. He is one of the most liberal member of the House of Representatives and has been even categorized as an extreme. Will Emmanuel work to be bipartisan? No, he's going to try to push his liberal agenda. Let's look at the only other White House position that has been talked about; Secretary of State. This is the highest ranking member of the Cabinet. Who's on the shortlist? None other than Senator Hillary Clinton. Do we remember that Clinton is another one of those very far left of moderate? Of course we do, but we can't do anything about it. There are many Hillary supporters out there that will be extremely happy to see her in such a high position, but will it be better for the country? Who really knows? The point is that if Barack Obama is truly bipartisan he would be looking at more moderate Democrats or a few moderate to liberal Republicans to fill some of the higher positions in the Cabinet i.e. Defense and Homeland Security. What positions will the Republicans hold in an Obama White House. Secretary of Making Conservatives Happy? Secretary of the Water Closet? Secretary of Note Taking? Who knows?

711 days until the midterm election.
ACH

The Rundown

Ok here's the rundown. Let's look at the percentage of those who believe that John McCain has the right experience.I t was somewhere around 77%. For Barack Obama it was somewhere around 49%. Let's look at the percentage of new voters who voted for Obama. The number is somewhere in the 70s. In Indiana we saw an outpouring of new voters in areas dominated by minorities (i.e. Indianapolis, Gary, Hammond). In Ohio it's the same (Cleveland, Toledo). These were the areas targeted by ACORN if you can remember, and investigations are still going on. Now let's look at the percentage of black voters who went for Obama. 94%. No other demographic has ever voted so lobsidedly. There was a woman at the Obama rally in Chicago last night on TV saying stuff like "we've come so far" or "this is what Martin Luther King would have wanted." What? Does that say to you that this election was based on RACE or the issues?

What percentage of the new voters could actually explain the stance of Barack Obama on any issue. They only know "Oh, he's going to change things in Washington." "He's different so things will be better." "I'm mad at republicans because I think that George Bush is the anti-Christ." "I'm mad at republicans because of the war" (which was not the #1 issue by the way). "I'm mad at republicans because of an economic crisis that was caused by actions ten years ago." The majority of people really don't know anything about either candidate and most likely went with whoever looked better, or whoever they thought had the best commercials. Any race or gender should be able to breach the White House, but it should be for the right reasons. Now that all three branches are firmly controlled by the Democrats we'll see how fast they can get things done and we won't be able to stop them. Higher taxes for our businesses are coming by February and how can that help the economy at this point. Higher taxes = higer prices for goods + more outsourcing. Unfortunately for the black voters it was more of an affirmative action election than it was an American election.

I do think that in two years that there is no way there can be a Dem majority. The approval rating for Congress is even lower than the republican president that apparently everyone hates. I believe that the Dems have been in control of both houses for two years now. Who keeps the President in check? Who writes, revises, and enstates most of our legislation? Many people are mad at the Bush bailout. Who voted to pass the bailout?

726 days until the midterm election.
ACH

A Great Day

Today is a great day for America. Whoever wins we should be proud of our nation's voter turnout. We have had record numbers of early voters and the lines in many states are hours long. Voting is not only a right but a privilege. Our founding fathers fought and died to ensure our right. It is our most important civic duty to go out and vote and make our voice heard.

Go out and vote today!
ACH

Shadow of Economy Reaches too Far

Watch the news. What are 75% of the top stories about in the last month? The answer: the economy. Why? Has anyone noticed that over the last week the DOW has been steadily on the rise? Or that the Euro is now at $1.29 and that it was at $1.60 or higher during the summer? Or that housing prices are on the way back up and foreclosures are on the way down? Or that gas (praise the Lord) is now as low as it was over 18 months ago? Apparently no one has. The news is full of the upsetting stories about the economy instead of pointing out that we might finally be on the way out of this crisis. By no means are we out of the woods but we are certainly in view of the bright sun shine in the valley just on the other side of the trees. Let's remember that these trying times stemmed from actions that took place during the term of one Arkansan president of the 90s. Make no mistake, the blame is not entirely his, but also the fault of many Americans as well as many large mortgage firms. Our current president is not to blame for the crisis, and John McCain is not to blame for the crisis.

With the overwhelming majority of news stories about the economy many have forgotten that the Middle East is a hot bed of activity. Have we already forgotten the strong and frightening words spoken by the president (more like figurehead) of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke only a few short weeks ago? It would seem that we have. Is the economy really more important than the safety and security of our nation for decades to come? Absolutely not. What is going on in the economy might in fact change the way we live for the next few years, but the policy that we take up with Pakistan and Iran might affect our country and the whole world forever. Events occurring now are extremely important and the United States must act to ensure the security of our nation as well as the security of our allies. The outbreak of a full scale war in the Middle East would have an effect on so many aspects of life here in the U.S. that we might never be able to recall life before the war.

The Middle East contains the majority of the world's oil supply. Oil is what makes cars go, plane engines work, and heats many of our homes. Right now the world is still dependent upon oil to function. A full scale war would cut off much of these precious supplies and would cause irreparable damage to the world's economy.

A draft might have to go into effect in order for the U.S. and its allies to continue the conflict.

In order to avoid further conflict in the Middle East we must keep pressure on Iran and other dangerous nations in that region. John McCain will be willing and more than able to take a firm stance against the anti-American leaders in the Middle East and will bring our nation into a new and better standing in the world.

2 days until the election.
ACH

Policy, Policy, Policy

The issues are bigger than ever this year, but which is the biggest. The economy, healthcare, taxes? The answer: none of the above. The election this year seems to be centered around theses three issues, but they aren't the most important. In fact, combined they are not the most important. We need to remember foreign policy. Foreign policy is the most important and will always be the most important issue in the United States. Our foreign policy in the next few years will greatly affect the economy which will in turn affect taxes, and healthcare. Much of what we do is affected by our foreign policy.

Is not the time to elect someone who has little foreign policy experience? Absolutely not. Joe Biden has gained experience in foreign policy, but he is not running for president. Barack Obama is. It is no surprise that he doesn't have any foreign policy experience because he has only been in the Senate for two years. Hmmm. Two years in Washington and no foreign policy experience and this guy has a commanding lead in the polls? We need a president who will play hard ball with Ahmadinejad, Chavez, and other anti-American world leaders. Maybe that sounds selfish, but isn't ensuring the betterment of the United States part of the job of being president? We can not afford not negotiate with dangerous leaders who pose a threat to us and our allies. Backing down will only make it worse for the United States. We cannot afford to elect Barack Obama. We must elect John McCain.

8 days until the election.
ACH

Give them Control?

The economy is bad but who's to blame? Is George Bush the root of all this terrible home loan business or banks failing? Uh no. Let's look back ten years. The economy was strong, Bill Clinton was our president, and big firms were giving loans to people who were not going to be able to pay them back. Who are they blaming now? That's right George Bush. They are also trying to link the problem to John McCain, a senator who tried to block legislation that would allow companies like Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Sallie Mae, and Freddie Mac to hand out loans like candy in a Memorial Day parade. Now those Democrats who controlled the Senate then and who control it now want to get sixty members in the Senate. They would have almost complete control of the Congress, and would be able to pass legislation without anyone to stop them.

If we are one of those people who believes that this problem stems from events in the last few years then let's not forget that Congress is responsible for the majority of the legislation that effects the country. Who has been in control of Congress since our last midterm election? That's right. The democrats. Now they want complete control? And they think they should be able to get it? Yes and yes. God help us is we give them the majority. For many people, not just conservatives, a Congress run by Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, and John Kerry is a scary, scary notion. One party should never have complete control of either branch of Congress and this time in history is a very important one. Let's not let them take over. Let's keep them from gaining too much power.

8 days until the election.
ACH