The First 100 Days: The Warranty Has Expired!
Barack Obama passes his first 100-day mark today. While this is being wildly celebrated in the media it is seen with trepidation among America’s millions of conservatives. He has already enacted such sweeping changes that he will have to take responsibility for the consequences from here on out. The warranty has expired! He can no longer blame Bush for the future.
On Terror: Many conservatives believe Obama has made America far less safe in his first 100 days. Releasing top-secret and highly-classified CIA memos detailing our interrogation techniques have given the terrorists a huge advantage. They now can train against our techniques, knowing that they are designed to give only the illusion of pain, but will never inflict actual harm or pain. So much for extracting life-saving information from terrorists.
On Charity: In Obama’s newest proposed budget, he has inserted a sizable tax increase for charitable giving. He says this will have no impact on charities because people give to charities regardless of the tax ramifications. Most people will give a base amount to their favorite charities, but they’ll give incrementally more on top of that based on tax incentives. Most charities barely survive… they’re always on the financial edge. The elimination of this incremental giving could be just what it takes to push many of them over the edge.
The vast majority of private charities in America are run by Christian-based organizations. Obama’s tax increase on donations can only be seen as an attack on these faith-based institutions, and a sign that Obama thinks the government can do a better job at helping the poor than churches can. It’s also a sign he wishes to secularize America. When you get churches out of the helping business, you also get their pesky little beliefs out of the way too. When government helps, there will be no more sharing the love and grace of Christ with the poor and downtrodden. And there will be no more sharing of faith that Jewish organizations may share with those they help.
The net result: a more secular America.
On Getting Along with the “World”: A large part of Obama’s promise was that the world would be far more deferential to America if we just had a president the rest of the world liked. So now we have that likable president, yet the world has continued in its obstinate ways. Nicaraguan dictator Hugo Chavez warmly embraced Obama at the recent Summit of the Americas, yet shows no signs of becoming a more benign dictator.
While the French people love Obama, he wasn’t able to get what he wanted most at the NATO summit in early April: a significant new commitment of combat troops for Afghanistan. In addition to the 26,000 American troops currently in Afghanistan, Obama plans to send 21,000 more. France and Germany agreed to send a few hundred more but they will withdraw them in October! Belgium has generously offered 65 additional troops!
Also, despite Obama’s promise to leave Iraq and free the prisoners from Gitmo, terror attacks in Iraq aimed at American troops are up substantially. Did they not get the memo that we have a likable president now?
It is not at all clear that having a likable president has improved our situation in the world
On the Economy: Where to start? Obama has introduced sweeping economic changes. From introducing a budget that would double the national debt over a 10-year period to a near governmental takeover of the banking sector and the auto industry. His actions on the economy signal that his government will get far more involved in the economy than any government since Franklin Roosevelt.
When Reagan took office under similar serious economic circumstances, one of his first acts was to cut 40,000 government jobs. He then slashed the budget and substantially reduced tax rates. That worked. It was hugely successful. But Obama has done the exact opposite. Growing government, increasing taxes and increasing the budget. If you do the opposite of what worked in the past, you can expect the opposite result!
While Obama has asked his cabinet to look for ways to cut a measly $100 million out of their departments he sent Air Force One on a low-altitude flight over New York City, scaring thousands of New Yorkers out of their minds – all for the sake of a photo op. This is not the way to signal your government that you’re serious about cutting spending. Approximate cost of flight: $350,000.
Global Warming: In the name of global warming alarmism, President Obama and the Democratic congress are seeking to enact huge tax increases on industry which will be passed on to consumers. It is expected that these new Cap and Trade measures will triple the price of gasoline and double or triple the cost of electricity coming into your home. This amounts to a huge burden on the poor – the very people Obama promised he would not burden with additional taxes.