With the election less than two months from now, you have to ask the question then-Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan asked in 1980 - are you better off now than you were four years ago?
The answer to that, of course, is no.
The unemployemnt rate four years ago was hovering around the 5% to 5.5% mark, which was loudly trashed as being "too high" by the MFM. Now? The latest is 9.6% for August, up from 9.5% in July, nearly double what it was just four short years ago.
Housing is taking a beating, from lower new construction numbers, to higher foreclosure numbers.
We're in a stagnated recession that could, if we continue on the same failed policy path, turn into a double dip recession, meaning that unemployment numbers will rise, further worsening the recession as people hang on to what assets they have - just in case they become unemployed.
Four years ago the economy was still booming. What happened?
The Democrats gained the majority in Congress is what happened.
Since then, they pushed for the continuation of making sub-prime home loans to people who had absolutely no possible way to repay those loans, through having Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continue to guarantee those loans (with your money).
Since then, they have nationalized the auto industry by taking over majority stockholder status in both GM and Chrysler, without giving a dime in recompense to the actual stockholders.
Since then, they "bailed out" Wallstreet, instead of letting free market forces have their way with those companies that were foolish enough to buy up bad home loans, and get involved in derivatives.
Since then, they have nationalized health care, which means that because costs and taxes (and fines!) on businesses will go up when it is fully in place, businesses are not hiring, and are "letting people go" (which is what I was told when I lost my job back in January), to cut their operating costs (which I can't really blame them for doing, since most businesses are in business to make money, not gush it like the Gulf oil spill), further exacerbating the recession.
Since then, the national debt has increased from the billions (too high, to be sure), to the trillions (ridiculously, even criminally, high), burdening probably the next three or four generations with an impossible to pay back debt load.
Since then, they have downplayed the war on terror against Al Qaida, claiming that it is more a law enforcement problem. They don't call it what it is - terrorism - and will not even acknowledge that we are at war!
Since then, attempted terrorist attacks on our own soil have happened (how many happened when Mr. Bush was President after 9/11? Zero!), because they refuse to take this war seriously!
Since then, they have announced that we won in Iraq, so they stopped combat operations, and have pulled most of the troops home, while transferring others to Afghanistan - and are taking the credit! That takes a lot of gall. (Don't get me wrong - we have won in Iraq, but I don't think all of the Iraqi's wanted us to leave just yet. I'm also glad that the majority of our troops have been removed from imminent harm's way, but the question in my mind is - is the job really finished?)
Since then, they announced a withdrawal date from Afghanistan, regardless of conditions on the ground, and have imposed such Draconian rules of engagement that our troops there are seeing their casualty rates go up. The Taliban and Al Qaida forces have also been emboldened by the stated withdrawal date, and are in fact doing whatever they can to get us to leave earlier. The Afghan people are terrified that the Taliban will take their country back over if we do leave next summer.
Since then, our allies have been snubbed and insulted, while our enemies have been feted and regaled, emboldening our enemies, and making our allies wonder if they can trust us as far as they can throw us.
So, let me ask you again - are you better off now than you were four years ago?
If you don't like the direction our country is headed, if you don't like being unemployed (or underemployed), if you don't like it when your concerns are ignored by your "representatives" in town hall meetings, if you don't like being told "this is for your own good, so just sit down and shut up!", if you don't like government telling you what to do, instead of letting you determine whether you succeed or fail on your own merits, then I urge you to -
Remember in November!
No comments:
Post a Comment