Obama Blew It. If only...

He had the chance; that knocking at the door; the once in a lifetime opportunity to take his country somewhere the Bushes and the Clinton's and all the rest of them couldn’t. And he didn’t.  So he goes the way of those who hear the sound at the door but don’t recognize when opportunity is knocking.  They are so captured by their speeches and their history that they cannot recognize when circumstances and chance and timing bring them the once in a lifetime situation where they just need to do what is simple and right and time tested and forget about all the rhetoric and the promises and the expectations of supporters and special interests.

So, he blew it and America suffers.  Here is what he could have done and what America could have done and how all would be very different, if only…

Obama entered office in the middle of a year old crisis.  Most of the severe problems had been mitigated; not solved but not ready to blow up.  The GM and Chrysler deals were an opportunity to let the bankruptcy courts prevail with their reorganization plans and let the contracts disappear and let the resurrected GM and Chrysler stand on their own.  The simple lesson for all else to observe would have been monumental.  He did otherwise.

Next, he could have started to cut back the federal agencies; the rules; the bureaucrats.  He could have started with the white house; its operating budget; the staff and moved into every corner of the so called executive branch and made cuts.  And as he made them he could have explained what he was doing; why he was doing it and how much saving were being realized.  He could have welcomed new business to this unburdened environment.  He didn’t.

And then he could have come to the people and said its time for all of us to make an effort.  In order to balance the budget we must eliminate some tax deductions and we must ask our high wage earners to pay more.  He didn’t.  Instead he forced through a costly health care benefit with the assistance of his once in a lifetime liberal democrat party hacks controlling both the house and senate.  He had this limited focus when the opportunity was broad and deep.

Then he could have said it is time for our seniors to pick up a piece of the burden.  No more social security cost of living increases; they are eliminated just as we did for all federal employees; we are going to add 12 months to the retirement age over the next four years and we are going to start collecting a co pay on all Medicare services.  We also will introduce a cap on Medicare and Medicaid payments.  We can’t provide an open blank check anymore.  This is his biggest failure.  Someone, sometime soon must do it.

And then he could deliver a speech to the people who live here without proper documentation.  Something like this, “We are not condemning you but you have a choice.  Identify yourself and return to your homeland over the next 6 months.  We will notify you when we need you to return as a guest worker.  Or, if you choose to not do so, when you encounter any authority you will be arrested and returned and not be welcome to come back.  Ever again.”  He didn't.

Next to the folks who are not working.  There will be jobs available.  Many will be entry level, lower paying.  You must apply and find a job because if you don’t you will be required to join a work program and live according to the programs rules and requirements.  They will be strict.  No more pay for not working.

While he was engaging in these activities, he would have been conducting a thorough review of America’s military involvements around the globe with an idea to bringing as many military personnel home as quickly as possible. The only compelling reason to maintain a foreign military presence is to guarantee basic security and materiel needed to maintain our society and our commerce.  We will enforce those basics and we have the military might to do so.  The rest of the hopeful, wishful, democratic building or bad guy containment exercises will become the responsibility of our neighbors and allies with our occasional assistance. 

Last, our primary focus at home is twofold.   First, we need to make more products here and sell more of them overseas.  We can do it.  But it means that our primary focus is commerce; those who engage in commerce are the good guys and they need to be treated as such by a cooperative assisting government; not burdened by a complex system of rules and bureaucrats who prevent the above goal attainment.  Second, we need to reduce our debt.   We will do that through a combination of all of the above activities and we will do it with occasional special efforts (I am personally going to ask Warren to write a check to start this process) to pay down a specific amount of debt.  Our target for the first 24 months is simply to stop adding to the debt.  Then we will begin to start a repayment program.  We will live within our means by the end of my first four year term.

All will contribute to this effort.  We will do our best to make it fair and equitable.  We will probably make some mistakes.  We will move to correct them.  But we will not tolerate any group, be it big or small, that refuses to participate; refuses to pull their share of the effort; claims some form of exception or excuse.  Not going to happen.

In four years I will encourage all primary opponents in my party to take me on.  If you can find someone else to run the program and someone new can bring their ideas and plans to improve this effort, they should have the opportunity to make their case.

It’s not about me folks.  You voted for change.  Let’s get going.

If only...  Those two lonely words.  Maybe the next president will decide to lead and not just follow.  We'll see.