Once long ago, a future US President talked about hope, about home of the brave, the shield of democracy and the sword of freedom. He was the youngest President, soon thereof also the youngest to die. To this very day we think with reverence at JFK, our 35th President.
The 44th President is now in Office. Also perceived as “The Savior,” Barack Hussein Obama talks about an altogether different Hope, one with a capital “H.” President Obama practices the opposite of JFK’s motto: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” For the first 100 days in Office, BHO managed to secure our debt for generations to come, gather more Federal power over centuries-old institutions and partake in a non-stop party – be it in Washington, DC, throughout the USA and around the world.
Two complete opposites – JFK and BHO. Both inspired a nation, one’s flame is still ablaze, the other about to die. The realization that campaign promises were nothing but a way to switch power to one’s own hands will soon dawn on the electorate, which will also have to face a reality much harsher than anyone could have envisioned. What is worth criticizing in others seems to be good for the holders of power; that which is questionable must be erased from the shelves of history.
The majority of Americans has facilitated the arrival of one’s worst fear yet still believe in a better tomorrow, in a dream-come-true today. The Republican Party crashed, the Democratic Party slowly waking up to a new reality exemplified in the CIA Director Leon Panetta and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi accusing each other of lying; behold – they are both Democrats. We will soon get a tasting of shifting winds, broken promises, restrictions on freedoms – of expression, press and speech – and continue to witness a seesaw back and forth, a constant flip-flopping.
The President has announced that the economy has stabilized, that the free fall has stopped. In the greater Los Angeles area, one might mistake and think the President’s observation is correct – restaurants are full, stores have not reduced their prices, lease and sale prices are still three times the appropriate level, and problems like gangs, acute water shortage, dependence on oil and ever-increasing pollution, illegal immigration, one-in-eight unemployed, a school system which fails in its mission yet constantly demands more and more funding and other such “minor” concerns are easily put aside.
If you walk in the streets and look closely, however, you will see many store fronts that are now vacant. Larger stores and offices are probably still subject to long-term leases and other commitments, although their longevity is somewhat questionable as well. We live in a make-believe world, and the illusion is soon to evaporate, or explode in our faces like a hot-air filled balloon. The President may feel the party is going on, but people down here, on earth, know differently. The party in Washington, DC, continues, feeding on these very same people’s future earnings, a generations-long commitment being signed and set in stone by BHO.
Ahoy – soon we will be searching for the safety of land. Who will keep the light on if the lighthouse, otherwise known as the United States of America, runs out of electricity, gas and all other means to keep it shining?
