"Change has come to Washington." So said our new President. I think the jury is still out on that one. Three indicators give me pause:
1. The Stimulus Bill looks more like the Making Sure the Demos Stay in Power for the Next Generation Bill to me. It is so loaded with entitlements and pork for special interests that it is hard to find the stimulants. Looks like the same-old-same old to me. More of the same tricks Congress, who by-the-way has a lower approval rating than did Bush, pulls constantly.
2. Four of Obama's appointments or near appointments have/had tax problems. Foremost is our new Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. This is the guy who is so smart we can't do without him. Can't seem to get his taxes right. Hmmm? All of these folks are establishment folks, not new to Washington. No change here just more of the same. J.Q. Public can't get away with this kind of chicanery, but it's OK for the good ole' boys and girls. Tom Daschle bowed out when it was known that he had tax problems and was too cozy with the people he was going to be watching. Then there was Nancy Killefer the erstwhile Budget watchdog had tax problems. I heard another person's husband just quickly paid his back taxes today. Didn't get her name, may have been Rice. Bill Richardson/NM Governor had to bow out before he even got started A matter of a little Grand Jury investigation.
3. Most of the new Presidents appointments read like a Who's Who of Washington insiders. Not a lot of change:
Ken Salazar/Interior - Senator from CO
Hillary Clinton/Senator from NY - State
Peter Orszag/OMB - Bush holdover
Rahm Emmanuel/Chief of Staff - A Chicago Daly machine guy
Susan Rice/UN - 8 years with the Clinton machine
Eric Holder/AG - #4 Demo in the House and infamous as the guy who got Clinton to pardon Marc Rich
Leon Paneta/CIA?? - 16 years in the House & Clinton's C of S. Well he probably knows how to keep secrets.
Dennis Blair/ Dir. of Nat. Intel - Very close ties to the Clintons
Bob Gates/Defense - Bush holdover - Good man, but hardly a change agent
Judd Gregg/Commerce - Republican Senator
Congressman Hood/Transportation - Republican & Mister Earmarks himself
There are a few good ones: Steven Chu/Energy, Eric Shinseki/Vets, Tom Vilsack/Ag
OK - Change is as change does. The only change I see so far is the color of the man in the White House. He is exhibiting the flaw I saw in him during the campaign - Bad Judge of Character. I am yet hopeful and wish him well. However, if President Obama continues to play politics as usual he will fail us most miserably. His first order of business needs to be to not listen to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb (Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi).
2 comments:
Just getting the news tonight that the Dems turned enough Republicans to get the stimulus passes. Looks like it's about $800 Billion, and no change.
Yo Pops,
I'm pretty sure Obama wasnt planning on changing everything. We still drink water and breathe air, instead of the opposite.
As far as changing, he has done plenty of that. Stem Cell science, equal pay for equal work, shifting war focus back to Afghanistan, etc..
If he would have added no-names to his cabinet, the criticisms would be that he added inexperience to the white house.
And this latest nonsense of the Republicans crying about ear marks. 40% of those earmarks were from Republicans. The hero Governor Jindall from Louisiana said he was rejecting the money for his state, and he wound up accepting 99% of it.
That type of nonsense and the Anti American garbage coming from Rush Limbaugh is more of the same. Thankfully people like Newt Gingrich and David Frum are coming out to reject Rush and his right wing followers. And that is completely necessary if you want to save whats left of the GOP. Michael Steele should have stuck to his guns.
Rush's group claims that democrats hoped our troops would fail in Iraq. That was never true. Democrats hate Bush, but they didnt wish ill will on our troops or the war in Iraq. Everyone I knew hoped that it would succeed despite disagreeing with the decision to go in.
Whats new with you guys? Ive had some decent interviews recently. It looks like business is picking back up... out here at least. Hope you guys are living well. J
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