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January 25 was irrelevant
That’s My Opinion
By Bob Robinson
Jan. 28, 2011
I don’t think Date Night went off too well.
First of all, it was difficult to see how well Pres. Obama’s proposals
went over with his fellow Dems, or if there was any support from their
“dates.” Second, it was kind of a bland, ho-hum type of speech, couched
in a lot of hype, plus a questionable comparison – Sputnik? – to
justify the typical pie-in-the-sky dreams that would kill our wallets
if they are ever allowed to become law.
Sputnik, for God’s sake?
If you are my age, you might remember it. I’m not sure anyone younger
would… it depends on how much they teach in our schools these days
about our history and the Cold War. If that part of history hasn’t been
re-written – or deleted – of course.
We were at “war for our survival” with the Union of Soviet Socialists
Republic, and it was acknowledged by most that the country that
controlled “outer space” would be the winner. The loser – ie the United
States of America – would face oblivion… it was only a matter of time.
Shock waves went through the country when Sputnik was successfully
launched in 1957, and led to ramped up efforts that culminated in
America’s Walk on the Moon 12 years later and undisputed dominance over
the “New Frontier.”
Regarding the predicted oblivion for the loser… does anyone remember
the USSR, now known as Russia? I do, but I’m an “old fart.”
In the 50s there was an entity on the other side of the world that was
hell-bent on destroying us. Nikita Kruschev even pounded his sneaker on
a table to prove his point. We had to win or face subservience to, or
destruction by, an evil Communist enemy! Or so we were told. So Obama’s
“enemy” is… well, it must be… oh yeah! Almost forgot! Big Oil!
The engine that fuels our economy.
I’ll have to remember that the next time I go to the pumps. It isn’t
Big Government that’s destroying me. It’s Big Oil!
Well, maybe I’m a little off base. Big Oil is only the messenger…
Global Warming is the culprit.
So they tell us.
Obama’s opening salvo against our transportation lifeline was to take
away all the tax breaks the industry gets and “invest” that money in
Green Energy. Aside from an Ivory Tower approach to something that will
likely have to be subsidized through eternity due to its lack of
economic viability in the foreseeable future, his plan also shows, once
again, how clueless he is on how the economy works.
Think ethanol. Government’s last great savior of our planet.
Big Oil subsidies are one of the main reasons we are only looking at $3
to $4 a gallon gasoline this summer… try $8 to $10 a gallon summer
gasoline if we allow this lunacy to continue.
So, back to “Date Night.”
Many people watching probably didn’t notice Obama’s ‘Green Energy’ jump
off the deep end, since the standing ovations were sporadically mixed
with silent “dates.” In the good old days, we’d have seen a lopsided
House with one side doing its duty and the other side expressing its
displeasure.
The purpose of Date Night was to bring an end to the vitriol of
traditional American politics – something that has been part of our
political system since the inception of our country.
It would be a welcome relief during campaign season, but if you believe
it has any substance or that it will last, I have a bridge in Brooklyn
I’d like to sell you. Besides, this ‘politics as usual’ was just for
show, anyway.
A Greenville High School student, Paul Reitz, told a group of young
people once, after spending a semester in Washington as a House Page,
that the same people who “blister” each other on the floor of the
House, make lunch and dinner dates afterwards.
They know it’s just “show biz.”
You can’t change the process of politics any more than you can change
human nature or tell the sun to stop revolving around the earth. Or is
it the other way around?
I’ve often told you I hate politics… but I love to watch it.
The last two weeks have been one of the most entertaining political
events I’ve seen since the Revolution of November 2010.
There’s a big difference between the two, though.
November 2010 changed the course of history. We hope.
January 25 was totally irrelevant to the course of history.
That’s my opinion. What’s yours?
Bob Robinson is the
retired editor of The Daily Advocate, Greenville, Ohio, a Senior
Scribe, a Member of the Senior Scribes Scholarship Fund and Editor of
County News Online. If you wish to receive a daily notification of his
comments, opinions and reports, send your email address to:
countynewsonline@gmail.com. Feel free to express your views.
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