Day375 Thursday 09/08/11

ran 3.5 miles
“Stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy.”

This was one of the opening quotes of Barack Obama’s speech tonight. Many of the circus clowns he was speaking to got up off their seats and gave him a standing ovation.

“American Jobs Act”. This is what he has decided to name his latest plan.

“Everything in this bill will be paid for.”

No, it won’t be. There is over $14 trillion lined up in front of whatever this plan will cost. And why were promises like these not waged earlier in this presidency? It’s because it is an unrealistic promise. That’s PC for a lie. Our president’s rear end is on the line and his window to do something productive during his term is nearly closed. Whatever this plan is, or will eventually be, on paper---he has all his chips in it.

These are some of the details I jotted down during the speech:

• 50% payroll tax cut for small businesses

• 2012 investments for small businesses can be written off

• Tax credits for hiring veterans

• $4,000.00 tax credit for any company that hires an individual who has been unemployed for more than six months

• Extends unemployment insurance for one more year

• Working family $1,500.00 tax cut

• Changes to Medicare and Medicaid

Sounds good. Let’s do this. Ummm, China, can we borrow 300 or 400 billion more dollars?

Our president is acting like this is some fresh new idea that just struck him like a “Eureka” moment. Why not sooner? The severity of his grim circumstances is forcing him to do things he gambled against up until this point. Throughout his speech he repeated that the ideas he was presenting were approved by both Democrats and Republicans of the past and present. Who is this guy and what did they do with Barack Obama? This “American Jobs Act” has a fair amount of likeability to it on the surface, but, again, why did a logic approach to taking meaningful actions take so long? The reason is because he has failed up until now and he is putting everything he has on the table with this bill to get reelected.

Our president also claimed that by next Monday he would not only cover the cost of the jobs bill but he would also stabilize our debt in the long run. Also in the news, China is abandoning communism on Monday and will embrace democracy. And rainbows will begin smiling instead of frowning…effective Monday.

More of the same rhetoric interweaved with charm and an enticing amount of false hope. He still wants the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations to “pay their fair share”. Does that include GE?

“If you are a small business with a contract with the federal government we are going to make sure you get paid a lot faster.” Way to lead by example. Here I am paying my bills on time like an idiot. Maybe I should call my utilities company, cable, too, and my housing lender, and inform them that I am not going to pay my bills for four months. I’m sure they will understand. The reason Americans have so little confidence in our president, congress, and the entire federal government at large is because they do not lead by example. They live by rules that apply to us but not to them.

Barack Obama was also keen on mentioning God tonight. “God Bless America”. “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Yet, there is a battle going on whether to even allow prayer at the 9/11 events this Sunday in New York.

The biggest message I gathered from our president’s words tonight was his defense of the federal government’s large role when very few even approve of its actions. Our president and congress have dismal approval ratings and it is because so little they do is working.

964.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day10.