"As much as we would like to think so, people do not change"
There is an old story about a young woman who was head over heels in love with a young man. The problem was this young man had many, many issues. When the mother of this young woman questioned her choice, the young woman replied "Don't worry mom, I will change him". Her mother responded, "No you won't. People don't change".
In 2008, a young man who was of African-American heritage won the Democratic nod to run for president. He had no experience. In fact, in the very short time he was in the U.S. Senate, he would cast "present" votes rather than go on the record. Casting a "present" vote is another way to say you were there, but you really were not. In other words, you were disengaged.
But who cares? This was going to be an historic election. The Republicans decided to run someone who did not really care to win and wha-la! The election happened and this young senator from Illinois is now our 44th president. The inauguration was spectacular, the speeches grandiose, and the cabinet he assembled was straight out of Rules for Radicals. Many promises were made on the campaign trail as the economy needed major surgery and rehab.
However, a leopard does not change his spots. During his first term, our young president managed to get the Affordable Care Act passed. It was 1,600 pages of gobblety-gook. Nobody read it before passage. But who cares? It was historic! Everyone had a big glass of Kool-Aid as it promised lower cost and better care. Some of the nay-sayers said the opposite would happen. Now in 2013, and over 15,000 addition pages of regulations later, the nay-sayer have being proven correct. The young senator who is now president is once again voting "present" on this mess. As bad as ObamaCare is in 2013, the worst is yet to come.
When the young senator was running for president, he said we were not respected world wide - especially with the Russians. The "cowboy" who was president before him really screwed things up with the Russians - he did not know how to deal with them. The new president said he would hit the "reset button" with the Russians. After all, the Russians view of government and our new presidents view of government were very similar. Flash forward to today. In 2013, we have the worst Secretary of State in world history and our relationship with the Russians is as frigid as the cold war. Nobody likes us, nobody respects us, and nobody fears us. Some "reset button".
Today, the Senate is mucking up a 1,200 immigration bill. Like the Un-Affordable Care Act legislation, it is gobblety-gook that nobody has read. It will pass the Senate (don't ask me why) and then die in the House. Our new president will hammer the House Republicans as immigrant haters and try to make a 2014 campaign issue out of it. Forget the fact it is a piece of bad legislation. But who cares? Our young president loves to campaign!
Also today, our young president will once again unleash the power of unelected czars to stroke another pet rock - climate change. He will use the EPA to hammer coal driven power plants to upgrade or close down. Where does he think the money for this will come from? Because he never got off the campus, he does not have a clue. Here is a hint - it will come from you and I in the form of higher, much higher electric rates. Our young president will make EPA regulation "cap and trade" lite.
Back to why we elected this guy. This "historic" election was been anything but. It has been all show and no go. Ideologues as well as Academia "lifers" infest the White House. Nobody seems to know what the hell they are doing and we are slipping down the hill fast. The world views us as the gang who can't shoot straight. Our ship of state is adrift and nobody is at the helm. Find something to hang on to folks - very rough water is ahead.
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