A great smile does not make a truth teller.  A talker of change does not define a reformer.  Make no mistake, for the good of the nation I want President Obama to succeed in getting us out of the scandalous economic meltdown we are immersed in.  But I do not like many of his actions, policies and strategies for accomplishing this, nor does the stock market.

I always had my doubts that he was a true agent of change and reformer when it came to the structure of the political and government system.  He took an awful lot of money from the very rich and powerful in his campaign.  Sure, with his superb speaking skills he has the capacity to win public approval, but most Americans are not deep, critical thinkers, nor do most have the best detailed information.  What if he is just another untrustworthy politician?  What if he does not keep his promises?  With these questions in mind, I have examined four areas where I find President Obama’s behavior disappointing.

Every time I hear someone say something about “saving the Earth” I want to say, “Are you out of your mind?”

The Earth is some 4.5 billion—that’s billion with a b—years old. How did it ever manage to exist without us? How did it survive ice ages, meteor impacts, and all the other stuff that went on before homo sapiens decided to climb down out of the trees and walk upright?

Scientific “consensus” and other shady sales tactics promote alarmist theories

Fred Schwindel’s TV City ad promises 40” flat screen televisions for $200. You rush to his store, to learn he’s “fresh out” – but has some 42” models for $1000.

That’s “bait-and-switch,” and Fred could be prosecuted for consumer fraud.
In the political arena, however, bait-and-switch is often rewarded, not punished – especially in the case of global warming alarmism. Instead of fines or jail time, politicos get committee chairs, presidencies, speaking fees and Nobel Prizes. Scientists and bureaucrats receive paychecks, research grants and travel stipends for Bali. Activists get secretive government payments for “public education” campaigns. Companies get government contracts, subsidies and seats at the bargaining table. And all are lionized or canonized for supporting Climageddon theories and policies.

While various Western governments are struggling to define a possible relationship with the Palestinian movement Hamas, some progressive and leftist circles are also uneasy regarding their own perception of the Islamic movement.

Some have even made the claim that Hamas is, more or less, an Israeli concoction. In fact, the accusation that Hamas was created by Israeli intelligence has become so commonplace that it often requires no serious substantiation. While the claim, as it stands, is erroneous, there is certainly a reason and history behind it. But was Hamas, in fact the work of the Israeli Mossad?

What if the legendary flop were an eco-parable whose message was ahead of its time?

To rerelease Waterworld today on DVD takes daring; to market it as a “2-Disc Extended Edition” surely takes recklessness. Was the original, 136-minute theatrical cut not sufficiently extended? Wasn’t everything about the film’s production miserably drawn out? Its then-record expenditure (about $200 million); its feuding between Kevin Costner and director Kevin Reynolds; its troubled, interminable, on-location-in-the-Pacific shoot? Even before the film hit theaters, the press had dubbed it “Kevin’s Gate” and “Fishtar.” It failed miserably in the domestic box office (though it eventually recouped its losses in the foreign market). A few years ago, the film served as the subject (together with The Postman) of a chapter in Fiasco: A History of Hollywood’s Iconic Flops.

March 6, 2009 – Submitted to the Federal Observer, by frequent contibutor, Roderick T. Beaman, who states, “This is so incredibly well put and I can hardly believe it’s by a young person, a student!!! Whatever he runs for, I’ll vote for him. I received this and all I can say is ha, ha ha.  Clever.”

Every government official should go to bed at night afraid that when he awakens in the morning that there will be an angry mob outside his house waiting to shoot or hang him. 

March 5, 2009 – Currently the U.S. Census Bureau states that there are over 305 million people living in the United States. Notice I did not say that there are 305 million Americans living in the United States. I refrained from making that statement for a reason.

In his farewell address, George Washington made the following statement, “The name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.”

Webster’s New College Dictionary defines patriotism as, “love of and devotion to one‘s own country.” Therefore, following Washington’s logic, to be an American, you must love, and be devoted to your country.

“You do not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered.” - President Lyndon B. Johnson

Albert Einstein once defined “Insanity” as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That is precisely what the power crazed; myopic congressional democrats continue to do in reaction to their angst over the second amendment and the constitutionally reaffirmed God given inalienable right.

It’s almost Midnight: Do you know where your money is???
Heidi, the proprietor of a bar in Berlin, in order to increase sales decides to allow her loyal customers, most of whom are unemployed alcoholics, to drink NOW, but pay LATER.  She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger, thereby granting the customers loans.

Word gets around and as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi’s bar.

Taking advantage of her customers’ freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages.  Her sales volume increases massively.