Obama’s 6 Worst Policy Decisions

by Thomas Del Beccaro

obama

From Guantanamo to Health Care, Obama is certainly seeking to Change America – or more accurately -to accelerate the pace of change from a private enterprise-freedom based civilization to a Big Government-run society.  According to Thomas Paine, “It is the duty of a patriot to protect his country from his government.”  I realize that is a slightly different definition than Joe Biden would use, but nevertheless, in that light, here is my listing of the worst of his policy decisions:

6. Bailing Out GM.  “His policy of public investments prevented necessary liquidations.  The businesses he hoped thus to save either went bankrupt in the end, after fearful agonies, or were burdened . . . by a crushing load of debt.  [He] undermined property rights . . .pushed federal credit into the banks and bullied them into inflating . . .” Historian Paul Johnson wrote that of Herbert Hoover.  You can almost substitute Obama’s name for Hoover’s  in every detail.   By the way, Government Motors sales are declining at 3 times the rate of the industry as a whole.  Hoover would be proud.

5.  The Energy Farce.  In what universe does economics work like this:  A $14 trillion economy is sinking and employers are cutting jobs, so…let’s raise the costs of doing business even more and that will lead to a recovery fueled by an industry, i.e. green technology, which barely exists?  Cap & Trade is right out of a classic “command economy” model worthy of 1940’s Eastern Bloc imaginations.  If it passes, its regulations will stifle the US economy for decades before someone is wise enough to junk it amidst global cooling.

4.  The So-Called Stimulus Bill.  So far, this is Obama’ signature legislative “accomplishment.”  In time it will be his albatross.  The basic policy decision made by Obama was directly the opposite of the choice Reagan made.  Reagan said government was not the solution to our problems -  Government was the problem.  Reagan dramatically cut taxes and regulations, the economy rebounded and tax revenues doubled.   Obama’s policy, on the other hand was, and is, to have government spend our way out of our economic problems.    Sadly for us, spending, taxing and borrowing is not an economic remedy for too much existing debt and the far too high existing tax burden.  Indeed, as the Congressional Budget Office pointed out, in the long run, Obamanomics will hurt more than it will help.  Given its short term-failure, it’s hard to imagine something worse and it is even harder not to dub this one of his worst policy decisions.

3.  Socialized Health Care.   Do I really have to explain the demerits of this decision?  Socialized medicine doesn’t work, never has and never will and will be nearly impossible to repeal – oh, and it will bankrupt us.  Next!

2.  Trying Terrorists in American Courts.   As I stated my article, Internment, CSI and Eric Holders Disarming of America, throughout our history, we have treated enemy combatants as those committing an act of war.  That is so because (a) they are not US citizens, and (b) their acts were acts of war.  In other words, they were not criminal acts of a US citizen committed during peace time.  Now however, Obama has allowed at least one enemy combatant to be tried in a US criminal court subject to the constitutional laws of our country.  The parade of horribles that will emerge from this decision are numerous and include putting America on trial, tearing down the barriers between citizens and non-citizens and changing the way we fight wars.

1.  Cancelling the Missile Defense System.   On November 16, 2008, fresh off Obama’s victory, Time Magazine carried an article that read:  “Missile-defense skeptics yearning for a fresh look at the wisdom of pumping $10 billion annually into missile defense aren’t going to get it from Barack Obama when he moves into the Oval Office.”  How so very wrong Time was.  Obama did cancel the long range system – just as every liberal Democrat has been want to do to American defense systems in pursuit of less guns and more butter.   So why was that Obama’s worst policy decision?  Even worse than nationalization of health care?

Let me count the ways:

1) Defense spending on defense technology is dollar-for-dollar very productive (compared to most gov’t spending) and leads to break-throughs thereby employing and encouraging US scientists – I thought the liberals told me we needed to encourage future scientists?

2) You do not negotiate for years with an at-risk ally, i.e. Poland, and then pull the plug on the deal – what does that say to future at-risk allies, like say Israel!  It says you can’t count on the U.S.

3) Obama’s decision to abandon the longer range missiles is based on an assumption that Iran is no longer interested in longer based offensive missiles.  You read that right, Obama is trusting Iran against the advice of Bush era advisors,

4) The decision leaves the U.S. without a long range system for the Eastern Seaborg – You are on your own NYC – don’t worry it can’t happen twice,

5) The Decision tells Middle Eastern countries, like Saudi Arabia, that you better defend yourself, i.e. it could/will start a local arms race.

6) It was an obvious caving into Russia without a serious, tangible benefit, and

7) It is in keeping with his other defense cuts which send a strong message when you consider his weak rhetoric.  Dean Acheson, who turned his back on South Korea, which led to the Korean War, could not be more impressed.

All in all, when it comes to the nuclear world, ignoring Jefferson’s advice that “Weakness provokes insult & injury,” seems beyond a bad policy decision – it is his worst policy decision.

So there they are – the 6 worst.  Stay tuned, however, the worst may be yet to come!


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Posted Dec 28th 2009 at 12:02 pm in Defense, Economics, Environment, Healthcare, News, Obama, Politics, federal spending | 393 Comments