I recently had a discussion with some folks about the current political malaise in America and was delighted to learn from those I spoke with that I was able to confirm what I suspected all along...that very few Americans really know how our government is structured. It was also confirmed that folks believe everything they hear from ideologically based media about what the Constitution actually says and the roles it provides to Congress, the president and to the courts. All without any appreciation of American History and how it too shaped the Constitution. One gentleman that I respect, clung to his political beliefs and made some good points about the need for entitlement and tax reform. When pressed further though, he fell back onto tried and true blanket labels like Obama is a "Communist" and wants the country to "fail." Along these lines, he indicated that all things "progressive" are really "Communistic" and not what our Country is about. When I pressed him about the "Progressive Era" he again stated it was led by "Communists." Apparently, he was not fully aware that the Progressive Era was around the turn of the 20th Century as he slammed FDR for his "Socialist" policies, including the imposition of the Graduated Income Tax.
He seemed a bit "off guard" when I explained to him that GOP President Theodore Roosevelt led the "Progressive Era" that included the establishment of Pure Food and Drug Legislation, a spate of Child Labor Laws, eight hour work days, environmental protection, etc. He also was unaware that the graduated income tax was proposed in 1909 by GOP President William Howard Taft, leading to the ratification of the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913. It is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe GOP Presidents Roosevelt and Taft as "Communists."
Shortly after, someone else engaged in the discussion, except it was more of a rant than any real discussion. This individual chimed in that Obama is a "Communist, destroying our Country and the Constitution." When I asked them to explain, I basically was told that "He is the worst president ever" - "the most unqualified" -"all he ever did was work as a social worker" - "that he has ruined business in America with all of his regulations" - "that he wants to do away with the Constitution while running us into bankruptcy with all of his taxing and spending" - "that he has made us more unsafe by having us rely more on foreign oil while killing American Oil companies" and "look what he has done to Israel." I was shocked. When I mentioned that Obama, having served as an Illinois State Senator and a US Senator before becoming President actually had more experience than Abraham Lincoln, her response was "I don't know from Lincoln, I only know Obama is the Worse. Even worse than that Carter!" I thought about Ronald Reagan's qualifications before becoming president (Governor of California), but I was sure she would not see the lunacy of using governorship as a requisite to become president since she ranked former governor Carter at the bottom, (save Obama). What struck me most was how she insisted someday we would sit down and have an "intelligent conversation" about why Obama is a "Communist." She went on to say "I'm from Russia and I KNOW a Communist when I see one."
But lets look at some facts here. What evidence does anyone have that Obama is trying to "destroy" the Constitution? What evidence does anyone have that Obama is taxing and spending us into bankruptcy when Congress has the exclusive power to tax and spend and the president can only spend what Congress gives him?
What evidence does anyone have that Obama is trying to kill American Oil producers by forcing them to shut down operations and making us rely more on foreign oil? NONE is the answer, unless you only watch or listen to ideologically oriented media! According to the July 14th - 20th, 2012 issue of The Economist, whose cover has a pumped up Uncle Sam with the headline that reads, "Comeback Kid, Rebuilding America's Economy," America has undergone an economic transformation the World is envious of. Along those lines, the magazine reports that the American petroleum industry leads the world in new exploration, technology and output. Most oil producers are now facing a crisis, not of supply but of storage space for all of the oil it must store. With the advanced use of "Fracking" a process to capture and recover natural gas, the article explains quite clearly how America is moving to the forefront in the exporting of cost efficient and environmentally friendly natural gas, while lowering demand for oil (leading to a lowering of prices at the pump). The argument that gas prices are too high because of the Obama Administration are without merit. Obama himself has included natural gas in all of his "green" technology initiatives, something his opposition conveniently ignores when promoting their rhetoric against his leadership.
What about "destroying the Constitution?" What about being a "Communist" or a "Socialist"? If Obama was determined to make America a "Communist" country, why have all of the oil companies, banks and Wall Street firms enjoyed multibillion dollar profits? When it comes to Israel, what exactly has Obama done to change the status quo for Israel in the Middle East? Do folks actually believe it would be different today under any other president? When folks rant about Obama's speech that Israel return to the 1967 borders with land swaps, they conveniently forget or refuse to learn that every American President since Nixon has said the exact same thing, except President George W. Bush (whom many claim was a "great friend to Israel") - who stated in a 2008 speech in Jerusalem that the 1949 borders would be an appropriate starting point! Am I making this part up? Here is the exact quote from the Bush White House website:
While territory is an issue for both parties to decide, I believe that any peace agreement between them
will require mutually agreed adjustments to the armistice lines of 1949 to reflect current realities and to
ensure that the Palestinian state is viable and contiguous. I believe we need to look to the establishment
of a Palestinian state and new international mechanisms, including compensation, to resolve the refugee
issue. See http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080110-3.html
But why do folks refuse to know what is really happening when it comes to politics? Why is it that everyone respects a doctor when he makes his diagnosis, but no one listens when those who teach politics and American History point out their errors in judgment or thinking? There a great number of potential readers of my new book, but will they bother to read it and learn? Why should they when they already know what they know!?
He seemed a bit "off guard" when I explained to him that GOP President Theodore Roosevelt led the "Progressive Era" that included the establishment of Pure Food and Drug Legislation, a spate of Child Labor Laws, eight hour work days, environmental protection, etc. He also was unaware that the graduated income tax was proposed in 1909 by GOP President William Howard Taft, leading to the ratification of the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913. It is the first time I have ever heard anyone describe GOP Presidents Roosevelt and Taft as "Communists."
Shortly after, someone else engaged in the discussion, except it was more of a rant than any real discussion. This individual chimed in that Obama is a "Communist, destroying our Country and the Constitution." When I asked them to explain, I basically was told that "He is the worst president ever" - "the most unqualified" -"all he ever did was work as a social worker" - "that he has ruined business in America with all of his regulations" - "that he wants to do away with the Constitution while running us into bankruptcy with all of his taxing and spending" - "that he has made us more unsafe by having us rely more on foreign oil while killing American Oil companies" and "look what he has done to Israel." I was shocked. When I mentioned that Obama, having served as an Illinois State Senator and a US Senator before becoming President actually had more experience than Abraham Lincoln, her response was "I don't know from Lincoln, I only know Obama is the Worse. Even worse than that Carter!" I thought about Ronald Reagan's qualifications before becoming president (Governor of California), but I was sure she would not see the lunacy of using governorship as a requisite to become president since she ranked former governor Carter at the bottom, (save Obama). What struck me most was how she insisted someday we would sit down and have an "intelligent conversation" about why Obama is a "Communist." She went on to say "I'm from Russia and I KNOW a Communist when I see one."
But lets look at some facts here. What evidence does anyone have that Obama is trying to "destroy" the Constitution? What evidence does anyone have that Obama is taxing and spending us into bankruptcy when Congress has the exclusive power to tax and spend and the president can only spend what Congress gives him?
What evidence does anyone have that Obama is trying to kill American Oil producers by forcing them to shut down operations and making us rely more on foreign oil? NONE is the answer, unless you only watch or listen to ideologically oriented media! According to the July 14th - 20th, 2012 issue of The Economist, whose cover has a pumped up Uncle Sam with the headline that reads, "Comeback Kid, Rebuilding America's Economy," America has undergone an economic transformation the World is envious of. Along those lines, the magazine reports that the American petroleum industry leads the world in new exploration, technology and output. Most oil producers are now facing a crisis, not of supply but of storage space for all of the oil it must store. With the advanced use of "Fracking" a process to capture and recover natural gas, the article explains quite clearly how America is moving to the forefront in the exporting of cost efficient and environmentally friendly natural gas, while lowering demand for oil (leading to a lowering of prices at the pump). The argument that gas prices are too high because of the Obama Administration are without merit. Obama himself has included natural gas in all of his "green" technology initiatives, something his opposition conveniently ignores when promoting their rhetoric against his leadership.
What about "destroying the Constitution?" What about being a "Communist" or a "Socialist"? If Obama was determined to make America a "Communist" country, why have all of the oil companies, banks and Wall Street firms enjoyed multibillion dollar profits? When it comes to Israel, what exactly has Obama done to change the status quo for Israel in the Middle East? Do folks actually believe it would be different today under any other president? When folks rant about Obama's speech that Israel return to the 1967 borders with land swaps, they conveniently forget or refuse to learn that every American President since Nixon has said the exact same thing, except President George W. Bush (whom many claim was a "great friend to Israel") - who stated in a 2008 speech in Jerusalem that the 1949 borders would be an appropriate starting point! Am I making this part up? Here is the exact quote from the Bush White House website:
While territory is an issue for both parties to decide, I believe that any peace agreement between them
will require mutually agreed adjustments to the armistice lines of 1949 to reflect current realities and to
ensure that the Palestinian state is viable and contiguous. I believe we need to look to the establishment
of a Palestinian state and new international mechanisms, including compensation, to resolve the refugee
issue. See http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080110-3.html
But why do folks refuse to know what is really happening when it comes to politics? Why is it that everyone respects a doctor when he makes his diagnosis, but no one listens when those who teach politics and American History point out their errors in judgment or thinking? There a great number of potential readers of my new book, but will they bother to read it and learn? Why should they when they already know what they know!?
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