Here's an elephant in the room: what is going to happen to George Walker Bush in January? Will he go quietly into the night? Will he tour the country making stump speeches for Republican candidates in the years to come? Get paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for speaking engagements?
Not likely. George W. Bush stood by and helplessly watched his presidency walk out onto a gang plank. The biggest shock to this country as a result may very well happen after he is out of office.
Here's a man who has led a very difficult silver spoon life. Alcoholism is no joke. On top of that, his presidency has been dogged with one misstep after another, and now, in the waning days of his presidency, he is hated by many and dismissed by the rest. Some say he'll face war crimes. Some say he should have been impeached. Some claim he knew that the twin towers were going to be hit (and worse). Some say he just didn't have enough critical thinking skills to handle the job, and he let arrogant others run the Oval Office into the ground, standing by helplessly.
He has looked like a deer in headlights in front of the press during this economic crisis. Dick Cheney has all but disappeared from view. Oliver Stone has splashed all the painful reminders of W.'s personal life on the big screen for the world to see. The mood of the country is one of palpable relief that a new president - any new president - will take the reins from his helpless fingers.
George W. Bush is constantly being watched right now, by his staff, his wife, the Secret Service. They all know that it is very hard for any human to take the severe public criticism W. is under. It is especially hard for a former alcoholic. He likely feels worthless, numb, angry in lucid moments, frightened, and wishing it all were over.
In the days following the passing of the baton in January, it won't all be over. The criticism will be louder. The new administration will release documents formerly suppressed. Only George W. Bush knows the magnitude of inappropriate presidential actions that will be uncovered from his tenure. The fear, the worthlessness, the wishing for numbness will increase. He may sit at the edge of his bed, unable to get up and get dressed, unable to lay back down, frozen, with a drink back in his shaking hands, wishing it all would just go away.
When the spotlight is gone, when a new president is in place, when his cronies have all departed in their separate directions, the vigilance on George will need to increase, or we could very well see the first suicide of an American president.
We must remember that, for all his failings and however much he deserves his critics, George W. Bush also deserves compassion, however conservative we feel about giving it. His suicide would be a shock this country would not be able to take. The failed presidency is the fault of George W. Bush. His suicide would be the fault of an American public that elected him in the first place, gave this weak man a rope, and dared him to do it.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Glenn Beck, Bootstrapping, and Smaller Government
As a future President of the United States, I think it is important to listen to the pop culture of the day, so I can stay in tune with the public.
One of the icons, naturally, is Glenn Beck. Surprised? Well, in spite of my liberal leanings, I do have some conservative values. Glenn Beck speaks to those values. I do get offended, frequently, at some of his positions - (more oil drilling? are you kidding? do you really want to defer our energy problems and global warming to your kids to solve?) - but for all his wrong-headedness, there are times when he makes really valid points.
And, he is real. He was talking today about some of the truly tough spots he has been in - alcoholism, foreclosure, losing everything but his name, and even that he felt he had sold at one time.
You have to admire a man who can fall down and pick himself back up again, and be willing to speak about it. He is honest and forthcoming. Wrong on some of his positions, but if he should ever come to me, as President, requesting I seriously consider a policy change, I will certainly give him my full attention. It is not easy to listen to someone with whom you frequently disagree, but when that someone has the courage to make a mistake, admit it, and correct it, then he deserves respect and a fair opportunity to state his case.
Glenn Beck promotes a smaller government. On this, we agree. Our federal government was never intended to be this large. FDR expanded it greatly, creating jobs in a time when our country desperately needed them, but the result has been a dependence on government not just for jobs, but for everything.
America's principles originally were based on a bootstrap mentality. Every person who could work, did work, and raised families and built industry with their own two hands - not depending on government to shoulder their burdens. There was pride in that. Where did that go?
Well, it began with FDR. Not intentionally - he was a bootstrapper himself in many ways. I don't think he realized the long-term consequences of creating bigger government. And every presidency has added to the growing pile of agencies in some way, until now it is so bloated and inefficient that its debt has exceeded its ability to pay it down.
Under an Ameriga Columbus administration, government WILL become smaller. More power will go to the states, and along with it, more tax revenues. Tax revenues should not be taken and spent at the federal level - they should be passed through to the states and localities. Bootstrapping begins at home. For emergencies, we should all pitch in. Yup, for natural disasters, each state should put something in to help the one that's been hit, rather than depending on the feds to rush in to the rescue.
Interstate commerce, treasury, foreign policy, national security, postal services - these are federal. I'll take a close look at every other agency and see how much can be closed down and shifted to state responsibility. Most states have their own departments of health and energy and education, etc. It is duplicative to have them at the national level as well. If anything, the national level of those agencies should be focused on research: how does our education compare to other nations? how can we best support health research? what are our national and global energy projections? That kind of research can support the states to make good decisions on education and health, etc. Federal level agencies are best as clearinghouses of information, not as regulators and mandate enforcers.
I think Glenn Beck would applaud the reorganization and shrinking of federal government, and the corresponding reduction in taxes to everyone as a result. Not that I'm seeking his approval - he is completely wrong on energy policy - but he has made valid points about the way the feds spend taxpayer dollars and the bloated, inefficient nature of our federal government.
I will change all that. Not yet - it's going to be Barack Obama's turn beginning January 2009 - but he can't be President for more than two terms. I'll be here, celebrating and challenging him as the case may be.
Onward and upward,
Ameriga
One of the icons, naturally, is Glenn Beck. Surprised? Well, in spite of my liberal leanings, I do have some conservative values. Glenn Beck speaks to those values. I do get offended, frequently, at some of his positions - (more oil drilling? are you kidding? do you really want to defer our energy problems and global warming to your kids to solve?) - but for all his wrong-headedness, there are times when he makes really valid points.
And, he is real. He was talking today about some of the truly tough spots he has been in - alcoholism, foreclosure, losing everything but his name, and even that he felt he had sold at one time.
You have to admire a man who can fall down and pick himself back up again, and be willing to speak about it. He is honest and forthcoming. Wrong on some of his positions, but if he should ever come to me, as President, requesting I seriously consider a policy change, I will certainly give him my full attention. It is not easy to listen to someone with whom you frequently disagree, but when that someone has the courage to make a mistake, admit it, and correct it, then he deserves respect and a fair opportunity to state his case.
Glenn Beck promotes a smaller government. On this, we agree. Our federal government was never intended to be this large. FDR expanded it greatly, creating jobs in a time when our country desperately needed them, but the result has been a dependence on government not just for jobs, but for everything.
America's principles originally were based on a bootstrap mentality. Every person who could work, did work, and raised families and built industry with their own two hands - not depending on government to shoulder their burdens. There was pride in that. Where did that go?
Well, it began with FDR. Not intentionally - he was a bootstrapper himself in many ways. I don't think he realized the long-term consequences of creating bigger government. And every presidency has added to the growing pile of agencies in some way, until now it is so bloated and inefficient that its debt has exceeded its ability to pay it down.
Under an Ameriga Columbus administration, government WILL become smaller. More power will go to the states, and along with it, more tax revenues. Tax revenues should not be taken and spent at the federal level - they should be passed through to the states and localities. Bootstrapping begins at home. For emergencies, we should all pitch in. Yup, for natural disasters, each state should put something in to help the one that's been hit, rather than depending on the feds to rush in to the rescue.
Interstate commerce, treasury, foreign policy, national security, postal services - these are federal. I'll take a close look at every other agency and see how much can be closed down and shifted to state responsibility. Most states have their own departments of health and energy and education, etc. It is duplicative to have them at the national level as well. If anything, the national level of those agencies should be focused on research: how does our education compare to other nations? how can we best support health research? what are our national and global energy projections? That kind of research can support the states to make good decisions on education and health, etc. Federal level agencies are best as clearinghouses of information, not as regulators and mandate enforcers.
I think Glenn Beck would applaud the reorganization and shrinking of federal government, and the corresponding reduction in taxes to everyone as a result. Not that I'm seeking his approval - he is completely wrong on energy policy - but he has made valid points about the way the feds spend taxpayer dollars and the bloated, inefficient nature of our federal government.
I will change all that. Not yet - it's going to be Barack Obama's turn beginning January 2009 - but he can't be President for more than two terms. I'll be here, celebrating and challenging him as the case may be.
Onward and upward,
Ameriga
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