Tuesday, January 1, 2013

"Do You Prefer KY or Vaseline?"



Well, well, well. Our resident chameleon at 1600 Pennsylvania has remained true to his colors. He is just a continuation of what we got from him during his first term, and he has yet to take the Oath of Office for his second term! The so-called “progressives” hardly had a chance to bend over and kiss the presidential petard before he was busying himself with ways to stick it to the people who elected him to office, all without benefit of kiss. All the tough posturing in the wake of his electoral mandate was just blowing more smoke up the posterior of those who honestly thought there was more to the man than we had seen during his first term. Surprise! T’aint one shred of difference. Just more of the same in keeping with his commitment to massive wealth, corporate power, the military/industrial complex, and the vast panorama of polluting energy companies that are destined to destroy the world. It is just more of the same assault on those who seek to make this a fair and just country, with opportunity and a share of our national resources for everyone. Watch out, Occupy Wall Street, law enforcement will, once again, stand with those aligned against you, all that you stand for and those who support you.

The champagne corks are hitting the ceilings of the posh offices on Wall Street like the sound of machine gun bullets at Omaha Beach on D-Day. They are, without doubt, delirious with glee that the disenfranchised at the bottom of the food chain will, once again, be separated from their meager treasures as an excuse to “reign in entitlements” and to make good on Barrie’s commitment to require everyone to share equally in the pain of restoring America to the land of opportunity it once was. Equally, my ass.

The food banks will not soon be going out of business. Unemployment, although given a brief reprieve, is probably already earmarked to fade into the sunset when the current grace period is over. The elderly can take some heart, however. It is much easier to gum it on hamburger than it is to chew better cuts of meat. It saves wear and tear on dentures that can now be made to last longer. Who said our president doesn’t think ahead? He has probably already tipped off his affluent friends that there is money to be made in cushions for us to sit on while the waiting time for our social and health care services become further attenuated and the system becomes more cost effective. It should be pointed out that the threshold of $250,000 for a tax break on middle class Americans was, also, moved upwards to $400,000 which, coincidentally, is the same amount Barrie draws annually as his presidential salary. Coincidence or design? Only a fool would make book on that one! I would hazard a guess that a goodly number of those working in banks, investment brokerage houses, derivates, hedge funds and the like are largely in income brackets at or above $400,000. Nah, that would probably be much too obvious, wouldn’t it?

Lest I appear to be cynical, let me reiterate that I am still convinced that the President is a Democrat in name only. Rather, I would be more inclined to say he is of a conservative persuasion. I do believe he is concerned with fiscal frugality and doing what he can to ease the burden on taxpayers. After all, look at what he did for the country by going soft on British Petroleum when it came to assessing the financial damage they inflicted on the country with the Gulf oil disaster.

Look at what he did for the national treasury by importing all of the experienced politicos from the Clinton Administration. No need to orient them to his administration. They came with all the knowledge and seasoning one could hope for. The wealth of experience brought to bear on issues of national prominence by Robert Rubin, Larry Summers. Peter Orzag, Rom Emanuel, Jeff Immelt, Leon Panetta must be priceless, not to mention all of those of lesser rank who have responded to the call to serve.

Look at what he did by having the Justice Department forgo any efforts to indict and try the Wall Street hucksters for their crimes in bringing the country to the brink of financial disaster. He must have saved the taxpayers a fortune on that one alone.

Look at what he has done by backing away from the issue of warrantless wiretapping. The mere thought of the massive amount of funds saved that could be applied to the national debt simply boggles the human mind.

Look at what he has saved corporate interests in the United States by engaging in secret negotiations on free trade agreements. Now, mind you, there is a slight loss of jobs that go with the deals, but it is all in the national interest, right? Ask Harper of Canada and Nieto of Mexico, for starters.

Contemplate the tax payer’s funds that have been saved by keeping Guantanamo open. No need to build more maximum security prison facilities on the mainland if we can continue to use what is already there.

Think of the huge amount of money that has been saved by not deploying aircraft and flight crews to overseas bases that can now be put to much better use in addressing the acute problems of home foreclosures, bank bailouts, and the loss of jobs, to name just a few. Unmanned drones must surely be much more cost effective. The loss of innocent lives must be just a pittance in comparison, the pain and suffering of surviving families not withstanding.

No doubt about it, folks. This guy could, if asked to do so by the Republican Party, walk on water and save them even more money! Now that is what I call a real deal.

For all those who naively believe this guy is genuine, and that Middle Class America is getting a real bargain, think again. He has elevated lying and deception to new heights and has managed to get the full and complete support of all those admiring supporters who call themselves “Progressives,” whatever that means. They just can’t bring themselves to call him out on the simple matter of “truth,” which is probably the most repugnant prospect he can contemplate.

My only hope is that, after this latest round of being hosed by this dude, the people who have suffered the most at his hands will simply say, “enough,” and set themselves to the task of holding him and all his two-faced cronies to account for what they have done to this country and all the good and decent people who are proud to be the backbone of all the ideals we still cling to.

Obama is simply no longer credible. I shudder to think of what he can, and just might, do before this second term comes to a close. There is nothing he can do that would surprise me. I would make book that more Americans will have reached that point by then than there are among us now. One thing can be predicted with certainty, however, and that is it will be one hell of a rough ride for those who work for a living and still hold out hope that things will get better for them.

Seriously, it is time to do away with the stranglehold the so-called two-party system has on our government. Both are simply two branches of the same monopoly and we are paying handsomely for tolerating it. Every aspiring political party that is clearly legitimate should have a seat at the table and a place at every political debate. No privileged character in this game does us any good, whatsoever.

Isn’t about time we stopped flirting with the notion that things can be made better? Isn’t it time we made it happen for us, the people, and not those who seduce us into believing they, the establishment, really gives a damn about us?

Time IS of the essence!

Cowboy Bob
The Sagebrush Philosopher
January 1, 2013













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