The Obama Legacy: Broken Promises and Lies

In 2004, Barack Obama came onto the stage at the Democrat National Convention as the party’s candidate to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate and wowed the country with his keynote address. Less than three years later, he was campaigning to be president of the United States with a lot of promises and a message of “hope and change.”

Though Obama remains a popular figure, the overwhelming majority believe that he has placed the country on the “wrong track.” Those who even remember his promises, now know they were empty.

In his final days at the White House, I made a list of his most memorable broken promises or outright lies — one for each year he was in office.

1. “If you like the (health care) plan you have, you can keep it. If you like the doctor you have, you can keep your Continue reading “The Obama Legacy: Broken Promises and Lies” →

Abolish the Department of Education (No Excuse for Allowing the DOEd to Continue)

Oh, how I long for someone with the wisdom and clarity of Ronald Reagan. One of his campaign promises was to abolish the federal Department of Education. He failed, but not for lack of trying. The Department of Education survived only because Democrats had a lock on the House of Representatives.

Nevertheless, Reagan cut the budget significantly and scaled back its functions. On one trip to the DOEd during the Reagan years, I asked an employee about her job. She said, matter-of-factly, “I am going through every regulation issued by the Department and cutting out anything that is not ‘family friendly.’” Needless to say, it was a full-time endeavor.

If “The Gipper” were alive today one can only imagine the reaction he would have to the DOEd’s letter issued to schools last month telling them that federal law requires them to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms “consistent with their gender identity.” The letter, issued in the form of a guideline, does not carry the force of law, but it carries this implied threat: Do this or risk losing federal funds.

Isn’t it past time we freed public schools and colleges from the tyranny of the federal government? Why send a dollar to Washington and have it funneled through several layers of this behemoth bureaucracy, only to get back a few cents, along with a boatload of regulations? Continue reading “Abolish the Department of Education (No Excuse for Allowing the DOEd to Continue)” →

The Syrian Refugee Grinch in the White House

Cold, heartless, cruel, callous, merciless, hard-hearted! Those are just a few of the words that have been used to describe Republicans and others who want to put the brakes on President Obama’s plan to resettle thousands of Syrians fleeing their war-torn country here in the United States.

Resettling those people constitutes a grave threat to our country given the fact that it is impossible to adequately vet them. Nevertheless, our hearts go out to these people and quite naturally we want to help.

So here is the question for bleeding-heart liberals who want to throw caution to the wind and bring plane loads of these people here to the United States: Would you like to help 10,000, which is Obama’s plan for the current year, or 610,000 of them? Continue reading “The Syrian Refugee Grinch in the White House” →

What will Transgenders in the Military Cost America?

There are many ways to take down this powerful country:

Pack the Supreme Court with ideologues who ignore the Constitution
Dumb down public education
Increase the size and scope of government
Put more people on the public dole
Put the government in charge of healthcare
Over regulate and over tax businesses and corporations driving them offshore or out of business
Demonize the productive members of society
Refuse an international leadership role
Go back on your word to foreign leaders
Strengthen the country out to destroy us
Weaken the military

Most of these things did not begin with Barack Obama, but there is little doubt that he has picked up the pace. However, two events making the headlines this week should be enough to shake us awake from our political slumber: His bargain with Iran, which has empowered our sworn enemy and accelerated the arms race, and his decision on transgenders and the military. Continue reading “What will Transgenders in the Military Cost America?” →

Americans trapped in Yemen, Obama Does Nothing

The U.S. is no longer a world power to be respected by our friends and feared by by our enemies. It is not that we don’t have the might to protect our borders or the ability to defend our allies and our interests abroad, its that we no longer have the will.

As the world watches in disbelief, we appear too weak to rescue our citizens trapped in Yemen, a war-torn country we abandoned shortly after Obama held it up as a counter terrorism success story. Continue reading “Americans trapped in Yemen, Obama Does Nothing” →

To War or not to War?

That is the question for president Obama. No doubt it is every bit as vexing as the one with which Prince Hamlet wrestled in the Shakespeare classic that bears his name.

In Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, he tries to decide if it would be better to commit suicide or struggle with the pains and unfairness of life. His dilemma is not that far removed from the one facing our 44th president. Obama’s choice is between political suicide or pubic ridicule.

Obama firmly believes that he was elected to avoid war at all cost, so much so, that he squandered our hard-fought victory in Iraq in order to declare peace, when there was no peace, and bring our troops home prematurely. But, alas, our enemy metastasized. It is slaughtering our friends in the region, openly beheading our citizens on the internet and threatening to spill blood in our streets.

Does Obama declare war on ISIS and take the necessary action to rid the world of this evil or does he simply invoke the Authorization for Use of Military Force given to his predecessor?

If he does the former, he would need permission from Congress, which likely would mean the political deaths of some dovish Democratic senators. If he does the latter, he will be exposed as a hypocrite. Continue reading “To War or not to War?” →

Suddenly It’s 1964 Again

Suddenly, it’s 1964 again. Racial tension is in the air. Cries of “injustice” and “police brutality” occupy the headlines. However, the epicenter has moved from Mississippi and Harlem to Ferguson, Missouri, a small municipality which occupies a slice of northeastern St. Louis County.

Unfortunately for the peace-loving citizens in that community, those fanning the flames which have led to the violence are stuck in 1964. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and members of the New Black Panther Party have never moved on. They are in a time warp. In fact, their relevance depends on being able to make disadvantaged blacks believe that the system is rigged against them. That’s how they get their power and earn the money to buy their expensive suits and chauffeur-driven limousines. Continue reading “Suddenly It’s 1964 Again” →

A Christian Response to the Border Crisis

The current crisis at the border due to the influx of thousand of young people and some children has tugged at our heartstrings and rightfully so.

The U.S. is a welcoming country. We grant permanent legal status to a million applicants a year and temporary visas to countless others as tourists, students or the much abused H-1B program where businesses import workers claiming they can’t find qualified U.S. citizens to fill their job requirements. In addition, we admit thousands more as refugees fleeing persecution based on religion, race, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group.

Despite what you may have heard, the illegals crossing our southern border do not fall into the refugee category. Most are from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. The problems in these countries are nothing new. All of these governments receive aid from the U.S. but they are inept and fraught with corruption. Continue reading “A Christian Response to the Border Crisis” →

The Border Crises in the U.S. and Israel

The border crises in the U.S. and Israel are not that complicated. Draw on your parenting experience and follow me.

You have two siblings who are fighting. The younger one is injured and comes running to you for help. You punish the older child, but despite all your efforts at peace making, this scenario is repeated again and again until you finally discover that the younger one is the real aggressor. He picks on his peaceful, larger brother until the older boy can stand it no longer and finally retaliates in an attempt to put an end to the conflict. The younger brother’s reward is seeing his older brother punished. And, yes, it is worth the occasional bloody nose.

The problem is solved when the younger one is finally held accountable and punished for his misdeeds. Continue reading “The Border Crises in the U.S. and Israel” →

Bundy, Sterling and Kerry: A Trio of Fools

Over this past week, the news has been dominated by a series of inappropriate, racist remarks.

First, there was Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who had achieved near rock star status by standing up to the feds over burdensome grazing fees. After drawing support from militia groups to the halls of Congress, the rancher was overcome with his new-found popularity and sense of self-importance. When he held a press conference and suggested that black Americans were better off as slaves than under our present welfare system, his supporters fled like cockroaches exposed to the light.

Then, along came Donald Sterling, the cavorting owner of the Los Angeles Clippers who was caught on tape, allegedly asking a girlfriend not to bring blacks to the games or post pictures with them on Facebook. Sterling was quickly condemned by President Barack Obama and Clipper sponsors begin pulling their ads.

Bundy (once) was enjoying his five minutes of fame and in the process showed his prejudice. He rightfully suffered public scorn and his cause (too much federal control over too much public land) regrettably is lost.

Sterling, who is no angel, may or may not be guilty of his alleged crime but he has been banished from the NBA and has been ordered to sell his team.

Put it in perspective: These are simply two old codgers caught in a time warp. No matter how hard we try, we never will eliminate the last racist or sexist thought. It is impossible. Continue reading “Bundy, Sterling and Kerry: A Trio of Fools” →