Another of my late grandmother’s many sayings was: “Sometimes it’s hard to tell which is worse – the smell from the pile in the pasture or the flies it draws.” Thus, in 21 words, she summed up my thoughts, feelings and disgust for the Obamas and their view of America.
In her speech at the Democrat Convention, Michelle Obama said, “All of us [are] driven by a simple belief that the world as it is just won’t do – that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be … that is the thread that connects our hearts.” She followed that insightful statement by saying that was the goal of her and Barack’s “journey.”
I contend that may be the raphe in their union, but it isn’t for America or her citizens. Her husband is running for the presidency of the United States, not the presidency of the world.
Barack, during his acceptance speech at the convention, said, “It’s time for us to change America. You see, we Democrats have a very different view of what constitutes progress in this country.” Their rhetoric closely parallels that of another Democrat’s acceptance speech. Jimmy Carter, during his acceptance speech, proclaimed that 1976 would “not be a year of politics as usual.” He was right, it wasn’t – 1976 and the three years that followed were the worst years in American history, second only to those of the Great Depression.
Carter said, “There is a new mood in America. We’ve been shaken by a tragic war abroad and by scandals and broken promises at home. Our people are searching for new voices and new ideas and new leaders.”
Suffice to say, for those to young too remember and/or for those who choose to forget, Carter made good on his promise. America experienced historic levels of inflation, unemployment, the betrayal of allies, stagflation, and for the first time in our nation’s history, a misery-index.
Now the Obamas’ goal is to revive that history in spades. Carter asserted, “The test of any government is not how popular it is with the powerful, but how honestly and fairly it deals with those who must depend on it.” Like their Democrat predecessor, while they claim to favor individuality and self-sufficiency, what they actually intend is government control and social parity vis-à-vis government intervention.
Vilification and class envy is not new – it’s that the Obamas’ purpose is to take it to new heights by penalization, vis-à-vis redistribution, of individual and corporate wealth for domestic and global benefit.
During his speech, Obama cited the example of a person who had lost his job, of a woman who “might” not be able to pay for her health care, and of other unfortunate and potentially unfortunate persons struggling for a plethora of reasons – reasons of their own making and choice.
No one denies that hardships exist – such are the realities of life – but what about the countless number of success stories? What about the legions of families and individuals who live well and within their means? And what of those who have found ways to be successful beyond their wildest dreams? Are not those successes worthy of pointing out juxtaposed to making examples of the unfortunate for self-serving purposes? And where is it written that persons of means/wealth cannot and do not suffer hardships?
Speaking of her family, Michelle Obama said, “And thanks to their faith and hard work, we both [she and her brother] were able to go to college. So I knew firsthand from their [her parents] lives – and mine – that the American dream does endure.”
My question is: If that formula worked for her family, why isn’t it good enough for others? I, personally, am the son of a single mother who scrubbed floors. I worked on a trash truck and pumped gas to get through college – would I be better off today if those who succeeded ahead of me had been penalized for success and had portions of same redistributed to me? I went to college because I worked to get there. Michelle Obama went to Harvard and Princeton courtesy of race-based, affirmative-action diversity programs – yet she is bitter and resentful.
Barack Obama says the promise of America is that “each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will” – but in the same breath, as he states “the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth,” he in not-so-veiled nuances purposes to have government dictate how businesses “create jobs, look out for workers and play by the rules.”
The Obamas are attempting to redefine honest success in order to prove the benefit of a flawed philosophy of “punish the perceived rich” for daring to be successful. This is not new. The enlightened elites of the early 19th century advocated the same. It took Karl Marx and Josef Stalin to show the world just how unsuccessful said philosophy could be. And it appears it will take the Obamas to reinforce their failings.
