Obama; A year in the review mirror.

For some Americans January 2009 offered such promise, for others it marked the start of a new chapter in the national nightmare that has become synonymous with political leadership change in Washington DC. Every change of the presidency brings about this juxtaposition of Americans. Those on the left saw the Obama inauguration as a sun rise while those on the right saw what they believed to the setting of the sun on an America that had been rocked to its core just 8 years earlier.

But each presidency must stand alone. Each brings into focus the reality of the promise, sometimes eclipsing the rhetoric, sometimes exposing it as nothing more than political speak.

This article is intended to bring into focus what has actually happened and only what has actually happened. I am an American who has an opinion. I do not intend to cover up my opinion of the events nor do I plan to sugar coat the successes that might be enumerated within this piece. I plan to speak to the facts, the possible reasoning for the steps taken and where applicable spell out the likely results both intended and unintended of the actions.

January 2009 brought change to the White House. And in those first days of the first days he was to serve the new President put on the most expensive inauguration in history while the country was in the midst of a purported economic collapse. A misstep in the opening hours of the presidency which brought to bare the full pressure of the right. A clear indication that this presidency was going to be about him first and foremost and after a year in office it appears that this first glimpse was fully exposing of his idea of leadership. His opening comments behind him he began to spell out the issues of the day, "That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood." This suggests that he was fully aware of the situation at hand. He continued, " Our nation is at war against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost, jobs shed, businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly, our schools fail too many -- and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable, but no less profound, is a sapping of confidence across our land; a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, that the next generation must lower its sights."

So there you have it. In the opening salvo on Americanism the new President spelled out clearly what his agenda would focus on.

1. The ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

2. The Economy.

3. "greed and irresponsibility on the part of some"

4. "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age"

5. "health care is too costly"

6. "our schools fail too many"

7. "the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet"

8. A lack of "confidence across our land"

Eight items that he would be intent on solving. So the question is what did he do about these situations, these crisis'?

For starters he took the the opportunity of this very opening address to the nation to tell the Muslims how America would now view them, "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy." Strong words? Not really. I believe it shows a fundamental weakness on behalf of the president which the Islamic world understands all to clearly as a weakness of the nation. This could in no way have been shown more clearly than in what happened later in the year. In August the commanding officer in Afghanistan requested additional troops totaling 40,000 for the Afghan theater. It took this president until November to approve the request after cutting the number by one forth. He announced in those first 100 days a closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This was an attempt at appeasement of the enemy saying that within one year the doors would be closed, something I might add still has not happened and could take another two years to complete. He also, in those first 100 days, stepped on the sovereignty of Pakistan by announcing drone attacks on Pakistani lands in the attempt to render terrorists there incapable of breathing room. Why make that public? It wasn't a bad idea and I understand the need to keep Pakistan from having to publicly approve the plan as it would cause issues for their leadership, but would it not have been better to surprise the terrorists instead of announcing they need to look for other safe havens?

Next on his list was the economy. His plan for this is still in question today, a year later. He has used it as an excuse to take over banks through the Treasury Department under Geithner, a tax dodger for those who missed that story, he tossed billions in the air with his supposed Stimulus Plan that was designed to keep unemployment under 8% (his claim not mine) and would save 3 million jobs (again his claim not mine). He came with up Cash for Clunkers to assist the government's investment in two of the three major American auto makers (an investment that should never have been made) which ended just as it should have, in bankruptcy as America already had a plan in place for these people through the court systems. The bank bailout initiated by Bush along with the bailout of GM and Chrysler should never have happened, but was done with the consent of the incoming president who then pumped up the volume and added another $700 billion to the $300 billion Bush spent. I really thought a constitutional scholar and self proclaimed student of history would have understood that while the government can create short term employment for the citizens those jobs do not create wealth or products that can create taxable income for the government, something desperately needed by the government considering his ballooning of the deficit to $1.4 trillion dollars in his first yer alone.

The outcome of this debacle has created 10% unemployment, millions of jobs lost in addition to those that would have been lost (I can say this because the president can claim he saved 1.5 million jobs with no measurable statistics to point out), the highest reported home foreclosure rate in recent history and the loss of confidence far beyond that which he "inherited" from the Bush administration which he finds convenient to use as a scape goat for every negative outcome that has come out of his administration.

We move on to the "Greed and irresponsibility of some". This is the phrase he most likes to spout when he announces yet another plan to limit incomes on CEO's of both banks which were bailed out and those that were not. Yet he conveniently forgets to point out the greed of those at Fannie May and Freddie Mac as both were ran by representatives of the Democratic Party in Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the appointees of their committees. The President has never once mentioned the mismanagement of these organizations fully backed by the federal government or the part played by both in the crisis we now enjoy in the housing market. He is quick to call for the heads of those who made questionable loans yet allows for no personal responsibility on the part of those who took the loans out on property that they knew full and well they would never be able to afford when the interest rates changed. Were there fraudulent loans made by unscrupulous lenders? Of course there were and they should be held accountable, but so too should those who accepted loans based on fraudulent income levels which they knew they did not earn. His mortgage bailout plan that was suggested to assist millions of home owners to stay in their homes has only delayed the inevitable as their income levels have not changed, in fact many have gone down or ceased all together as the jobs have been lost leaving the American people now on the hook where we were not before.

"Our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age", should be the mantra for this administration in retrospect of the first year in office. Massive deficit spending adding to a massive national debt which has reached critical mass. This is reflected in the fact that the largest single carrier of our debt, China, now says openly that America is becoming a high risk investment. The dollar is crashing and inflation is on the horizon although you will not here it even mentioned by this administration. "Hard Choices: would be cutting the federal budget by hundreds of billions of dollars across all line items and reining in spending by all departments. Preparing us for a new age would be eliminating social spending or at least making it time sensitive. "Hard Choices" would be cutting taxes on business and individuals so as to increase the money supply instead of simply printing more money.

As we move into the health care debate, we must admit that government has been a major part of the cost increases experienced by the rest of the population not on Medicare. To ignore that fact is the be as "irresponsible" as those Obama blames for all our woes. Governments regulation of interstate commerce has decreased competition and allowed for many companies to now monopolize huge segments of the nation. Allowing for settlements that exceed by millions the life time incomes or medically necessitated costs of those harmed in botched procedures is another major cost of that must be absorbed by doctors and hospitals and is reflective in their overhead costs which are passed on to the consumer. The FDA sitting for decades in some cases on medicines that are readily available across the borders delays the ROI for those companies that have invested millions in Research and Development of those life saving drugs. Yet this president does nothing but request more government control over a system that leaves less than 15% without coverage. As if that will in any way make the system better, cheaper or more streamlined. Deals made with states so they will not be "harmed" by the system in question should speak loudly that there is "harm" associated with it. Special interests like the Unions making side deals so that their members will not be "harmed" by the new system should further punctuate that claim.

Our school's failures can be directly linked to government spending and teacher unions keeping failed teachers in their positions by their support of the tenure system. Just look if you need evidence, at the Washington DC school system. A few years back they managed to get passed a voucher program allowing parents to place their children in schools based on the schools performance. The parents love the system and the kids grades are going up, yet Obama threatens to end the program. It is costing tax payer no more than the old system but it is getting results. It should be held up as an example of what we should be doing in this country, not decried as a rogue system that needs to be brought back into the fold. Since the states are now told what must be taught, always with the threats of spending cuts to their education systems if they don't fully comply (a clear usurpation of the 10th amendment) their failure can only be laid at the feet of the federal government and now this president as he has done nothing to restore the states to their rightful place of running their own education systems. This president even nationalized the entire student loan program... How in the world did that help anything? The federal government runs a 12 trillion dollar debt as it is (at least on paper not counting the 100 trillion in unfunded future mandates).

His biggest failure to date has to be energy policy because it is the easiest to fix and can be done within 30 days. Continue investing in unproven technologies with tax cuts as they will be needed one day, but for the love of America, release the companies from government regulation who can effect our cost of living tomorrow. Stop giving money to people for R&D, stop giving money to the oil companies and stop holding them back from doing their jobs. Tell those companies with current lease holding that they have 30 days to start pumping oil out of the ground and wave those things that stand in their way on a governmental level and tell them they will lose the leases and they will be giving to start up companies eager to make money. Let the off shore oil companies go after the oil in every area off the coast. Just do it. The EPA needs to get out of the way and so does this president.To date this president has done nothing to increase our domestic oil supply although he claims he cleared the off shore areas for pumping. Bush did that before he left office.

As for the planet, we already have the technology to get that oil with the most limited risk to the environment. We know how to do this and have proven it repeatedly. As for Global Climate change, just stop it. We all know that it is a bunch of hog wash and the release of the emails from the scientific community just drove it home. Recycling is nice, and we should do it, but we have to run the country in the best interest of the people, not the best interest of Al Gore's profit margin.

Finally, the lack of confidence across this land is made worse by this president, not better, Fear of the future is not a motivator for Americans, it never has been. Speak to us as others have with the promise of America in your words. Stop telling Americans what they can't do and start telling us what we have done, what we will do and what we can do. Inspire, don't blame, include, don't discourage, and stop splitting us up into different segments and them pitting us against each other. Racism, Sexism, Class Warfare and the like are so part and parcel to the way he governs that it is amazing that we get anything done right now at all. We are Americans first, last and always. The rest of the world has their way of doing things and we have ours and if the history of the world is a guide, our works better than anyone's.

But what would I know; I'm just an Average American.