The blog of a North Country Swede!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Diverted from progressive results to the progressive rhetoric of a black man

Something is very wrong in the leadership of the Obama Administration ... I think it goes beyond incompetence to fraud.

There was a discussion on MSNBC's program, The Last Word, last week about Obama's competence, and who it's core constituency is: those who pay to play. Check it out:

Obama's Business http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/40363218#40363218

At this juncture it has been clearly demonstrated that Obama's political purpose for the money interests behind him is to sap the political strength of progressive issues by diverting our focus and energy from progressive results to the progressive rhetoric of a black man.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

It's having a job, stupid.

Unemployment is not having a job. Going 99 weeks on unemployment and still not getting a job is definitely not the same as having a job. And offering more unemployment is not the answer to not having a job.

What so hard to figure out? Individual dignity in our cultural ethics is tied to earning what we and our families need.

The common denominator for everyone living in a family that does not own enough assets whose earnings provide the economic wherewithal for a satisfying life, needs a job to earn that economic wherewithal, and wants a job that offers the opportunity to earn it.

For those who need a job to earn a living for their family, no matter our religious beliefs, our sexual orientation, or our political persuasion, we can unite on the issue of needing work for everyone who can work and who needs it.

And when are as wealthy a nation as we are, wealth that has been produced by the labor of our minds and bodies, there is no reason why everyone who needs a job shouldn't have one. We have both the resources and the need to provide these jobs.

What we don't have is a political party that articulates our common denominator as wage earners needing a job as a fundamental requirement outside any other divisive issue.

When we let the political parties divide us, the wage earners, over other issues, we let the those who own the assets of production drive the cost of labor down to below that of providing a living wage—which they now can do by producing goods AND services offshore—and further divide us over the fear of unemployment and poverty.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

What can I say? Obama is way out of his depth ...

Great leaders inspire the citizens to follow them, first with their words then with their actions. It seems Obama never got the hang of that second part.

And now Obama doesn't even speak to our concerns ... no, "concerns" is too weak of a word. He doesn't address our anxiety or our fear or our pain. You can't tell millions who are out of work and unable to support their families that Obama's economic plan is working ... not when real long-term unemployment is the highest its been since the depression and not moving ... and he and his administration moved heaven and earth to save the wealthy criminals who got us into this mess. (Is there any doubt after learning how the subprime mortgages were handled that these brilliant thieves committed fraud?)

And what about the 23% reduction in Medicare reimbursement that will decimate healthcare for many Seniors, and is now—literally—being kicked down the road month to month? (See http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/senate-agrees-delay-medicare-reimbursement-cuts )

And when Obama doesn't address these issues except obliquely in the general sense of we should trust him to know best ... and look how much he has already done ... while we are experiencing personal catastrophe ... well?

And their is little that is more catastrophic to the average family bread-winner than long term unemployment with no real hope of getting another job that pays the bills ... or loss of specialized medical care to a Senior Citizen like myself suffering from end-stage renal disease aka kidney failure, afib (heart disease), and prostate cancer. That's pretty darn "local" as in Tip O'Neill's "All politics is local." (See http://maplewood.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/09/the-old-man-medicare-matters/ )

Obama is way out of his depth and doesn't get it ... in part because he has isolated himself from the people. He seems to think we should accept his view of the way we are when he isn't looking at it from our position. And he has not convinced us that his view is our reality, because if it were, he would be doing more to change that reality, wouldn't he? ... or is he so impervious to our pain and fear that he accepts it as necessary and unavoidable?

Obama shows no sign of feeling the pain of the unemployed family bread-winner or the fear of the Senior Citizen tethered to specialized medical care that is keeping us alive.

And he shows no sign of understanding the political fallout of blaming the troops for not understanding or supporting the battle plan ... or how that reflects on his leadership. When leaders start blaming the citizens for having lost confidence in their leadership, it is a sure sign that we need new leaders.