Blowin' Smoke

I can't wait for the day, which I believe is soon coming, when the majority of Americans will stop being so enamored with politicians and they will see through the smoke and mirrors acts. Politicians are just people. They make mistakes, but it seems that most Americans don't see through that to even look at the mistakes (unless of course it is from the other party).

I watched the "Town Hall" meeting President Obama held in Indiana yesterday and I was amazed that no one in that whole room really picked up on the problems with this plan that President Obama even mentioned in his speech. For those that missed it; here are quotes from that speech (minus the smoke he blew around them):

1- This isn't a quote, but Obama talked about how bad things had gotten in this town in Indiana. It is very true that things are horrible for them and I honestly feel bad not only for them, but for everyone that lost their job. I couldn't help but wonder what those companies Obama mentioned did though. They are, all three that he mentioned, makers of RVs and Campers. The majority of the town was employed to make huge gas guzzling, luxury items. Can someone please explain to me how the Administration and Legislature are going to save those jobs, and why?

2- "We have inherited an economic crisis as deep and as dire as any since the Great Depression." First off, contrary to popular belief among republicans, Obama did inherit the problem. Not from who he insenuates here, but from his colleagues in the Legislature. He inherited it because for the years he was supposed to be in the Senate, he was running for President. How come we all so easily forgot who enabled the housing crisis in the first place? How on earth did we let the media and our politicians move us to think it was the Bush Administration that did it all by themselves, (they most certianly didn't help it, and I am not sure government can help it)? To his second point: By most measurements the current recession, while different than the others we have been through, is no worse or better. It is just aggravating that our politicians keep comparing it to the Great Depression in order to incite panic so that we'll agree with bigger government ideas, when this recession is no where close to the Great Depression.

3- "We can't posture and bicker and resort to the same failed ideas that got us into this mess in the first place." Of course the audience applauded after that one. So there hasn't been any posturing from either side during this bid for the stimulus bill? Isn't hosting a town hall meeting to say that you are doing great, it's those darn republicans in Washington who are screwing things up; isn't that posturing? See the above note as far as whose failed ideas got us into this mess, but in regards to this bill. How come we have already forgotten the opposition Bush got for his $700 billion deal because no one was sure it would work, no one really understood what was in there, and it sure seemed like a lot of money (sound familiar to our current stimulus bill?)?

4- "Now - now, let me be clear. I'm not going to tell you that this bill is perfect. It's coming out of Washington; it's going through congress." That was met with laughter... Didn't he just say though that people wanted change? Wouldn't this have been the change we were looking for? Wasn't that the problem at the end of Bush's presidency (President banging heads with congress because they were the ones at fault)? Also, if it's not perfect, don't you think that for this amount of money we should fix it? If there is one part that is perfect, then pass that. I am not sure why there has to be a whole bill full of stuff and we have to vote for the whole thing regardless of whether or not several of its parts are ludicrous.

5- "I - I can't - I can't tell you with 100 percent certainty that every single item in this plan will work exactly as we hoped." No need for comment here.

6- "Even with this plan, the road ahead won't be easy. This crisis has been a long time in the making; we're not going to turn it around overnight. Recovery will likely be measured in years, not weeks or months." There really is so much wrong with this statement I am not sure where to begin. I will ask one question: We are being asked to support a bill, that if we don't support the economy will fall further apart and not likely come back for years, and this bill might not work because it isn't perfect, but it's supposed to get everyone jobs - though we are not sure if that will work and none of this will fix things for several years? Maybe I missed it, but why are we spending $800+ billion again?

Now, of course, President Obama seperated these little quotes with a lot of fluff about how the folks in Elkhart are going to get their jobs back (though I am not sure how someone who used to make RVs is going to be a lot of help building that road Obama talked about) and how things are bad but we voted for him so we must agree with his way of doing things. All of that smoke apparently caused those in that High School to applaud and celebrate the hero Obama who was saving them, but I certainly hope that soon enough Americans will not be so easily blinded.