The Wizard of Oz

If I remember the movie correctly the Wizard of Oz was a fraud, but belief in him gave the cowardly lion, the scare crow, the tin Man and Dorothy the courage to develop a plan and follow a path. And they ultimately found that they always had what it took to solve their problems.

I think there is probably more truth in that then almost any other fairy tale I have read. Though to be totally honest a lot of fairy tales have a very dark side.

The current Wizard of Oz is President Barack Obama. No, I am not saying he is a fraud, but like all idols upon which we hang all our hopes is likely to disappoint at some time. Currently many of my liberal friends are shattered that he is moving to suppress photos of alleged prisoner abuse by our soldiers in foreign lands. Others were upset he shook the hand of President Chavez. Then there is the reinstitution of military tribunals. Or that he is throwing money after the economic situation, and creating an even bigger deficit than the one Bush left us.

And this morning I was reading on Real Clear Politics that barring some dramatic breakthrough or a military strike from Israel, Iran is going to become a nuclear power. According to a National Security Network report, "During the eight years of the Bush administration, unnecessary saber-rattling, coupled with a refusal to talk to Iran, did nothing to make America more secure. Indeed, Iran made enormous advances both in nuclear technology and regional prestige."

And if you believe that Iran is just going to lay down its hopes of being a major power in the region and skip down the yellow brick road with the rest of the world you do believe in fairy tales. In fact maybe you are delusional.

The presidency of the United States is not a magic wand. It is not even the Emerald City. It is a huge burden and to an enormous degree has more control over the holder of the office than that individual has with the office supposedly at his command.

In his first 100 days in office President Obama has done an enormous amount to turn around the misguided policies of the previous administration even though they are still out there lobbying that they did everything right. But now is not the time to sit back and begin critizing what he has not done. Now is the time to realize we have power ourselves. Like the lion, and the tin man and the scarecrow we have heart and courage and brains.

Like Dorothy we have always had the power to go home to an America we are proud of. It just may not always be a straight road and it may not be paved with gold like immigrants to our shores once believed. But it is our best hope currently for a world that works for everyone.

Stop yelling at the Wizard! Stop listening to the wicked witches like Cheney and Rush and Ann Coulter. Believe we can do this.

Where is the bottom?

My father always seemed to have a quick comeback for any of my fears as a child. I remember in a fishing boat on a huge lake and asking how deep the water was. His reply was, "It doesn't matter once it is over your head."


I have been feeling a lot like that nervous kid in the small boat with the entire financial crisis, but the bottomline (or bottom) is way over my head. I am treading water in the small end of the pool. But today Warren Buffett who swims with the big guys says the economy fell off a cliff. And people are changing their buying habits like he did not anticipate. We are all in the shallow end treading water.

But Mr. Buffett remains calm. So did the band that played on the decks of the sinking Titanic. According to Buffett fear is dominating Americans' behavior and the economy has basically followed the worst-case scenario because of that fear. He didn't say it in this article I read but we don't need naysayers like Rush Limbaugh or even the congressional Republicans fighting against the direction that our President is rowing.

Buffett remains optimistic and says now is the time that the nation's leaders need to support President Obama's recovery plan, which I believe he had a hand in drafting. I learned today that my small community will get some of those first "shovel ready project" funds which will bring $25 million in infrastructure development to the area. Half of that will be labor costs which translates to jobs. And business for restaurants and landlords and shops.

I am still treading water but it is possible I see a dim light of a possible ship of rescue on the horizon. I don't want to hear that it is not going to come or that someone on national radio actually hopes it doesn't.

Obama's State of the Nation

The press is all over this initial address of President Obama before both houses of Congress. I will not try to analyse what he said or just how he said it. Better minds than mine will be doing that today. But one initial assessment I think is significant is that President Obama struck a serious but optimistic tone last night.

"While our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken, though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this: We will rebuild, we will recover."

"And the United States of America will emerge stronger than before," he said to loud applause in the packed chamber.

Words to remember as we go ahead. But what really got to me was the warmth. You could feel the love in the room! Pans of the assembled members of congress showed smiles and nods. President Obama was interrupted by applause more than 60 times as he addressed Congress, where Democrats control both chambers. And then there was Senator McCain! Well, I always thought he was a sourpuss. After eight years of trying to watch GW Bush's addresses to congress (a real sacrifice on my part because I am a stickler for good English from the podium) I was not to have my spirit dampened by a couple rows of Republicans that gave only polite applause at times. Though even they joined the rest of the assembly in standing ovations on key points.

I even dusted off my long unused Facebook account so I could watch it on a live feed from CNN there. Was a bit shocked there were some spiteful people in that crowd on the Internet but it did not mar the images that streamed across my computer screen. Or the words.

Hope is back. Great oratory is back. Inspiration is back. Education for more than passing some dumb efficiency test is back ("Dropping out of school is not just quitting on you. It is quitting on our country). Bringing jobs back to American is back (Tax credits for taking jobs overseas will be repealed). Rebuilding or crumbling infrastructure is back.

No bid contracts for companies in Iraq is out. Red State/Blue State is out. And being devisive for the sake of just being devisive better be out because there is work to do.

Pride in being an American is back for me.

Most of the People only Some of the Time

My father was fond of saying that you can please a few people all the time, and some people some of the time and none of the people all of the time. This week has certainly brought home that to President Obama and the American People.

I have been following as best I can the criticisms of the Economic Stimulus package as it makes its way through the shark infested pools that are the United States Senate. Clearly everyone has a different idea as to what stimulus is and how to create it.

An economist friend of mine once said you could put three economists in a room and come up with no fewer than five opinions on anyone economic issue. I really see that now.

I am not an economist by any means but I am a broke American trying to hold on in stormy seas and the best solution I heard to this whole mess was to not put it all in one package but divide it into three or four parts. Still I can see that with the direness of the consequences in the world economy that the desire to do it all at once seemed imperative.

With the Senate moving toward a workable compromise our new President may get what he has asked for. He seems more than willing to work with everyone but I was pleased when he told the Republicans, "you caused this mess why can't you help fix it" or words to that effect. I doubt we will know really what works and what does not for a decade. We have not been here before. When the Great Depression happened the world was more separate; not so globally linked. I am sure that historians and economists will be debating this for the better part of the century. Let's hope that we at least learn something this time.

I've learned we should not have let GW Bush have his TARP funds. They have been misspent with no limitations and in some cases drastic over-payment resulting in no stimulus to the economy. I am sure we will be debating that for several decades too. GW was obviously trying to please just a few people all the time - like already rich CEO's and business owners.

I have my fingers crossed that this will work. That pleasing most of the people some of the time is all we need to do to get the ball rolling again. I do know it is democracy as it is suppose to work. GW, I think history will find, ran a dictatorship.

He Said Things Would Change

I have been off-roading and spending quality time with my sister and my best friend here in Cedar Crest and not even watching the political news. But I get these alerts in my e-mail from New York Times and they said Obama was again heading to the hill to confer with Congressional leaders and Republicans on his economic stimulus bill!

Wait this is a sitting president. Not a president elect or a presidential wannabe. GW Bush spent eight years enshrined in the Oval office! He never even invited a single Democrat to the White House until his final two months in office. And President Obama has not only had everyone up for lunch and conference but is going once again to the Capital to confer with the opposing party!

For those of you looking for signs that he is fulfilling his promise for change look no further. This is a huge change. And not only is he talking to them but asking questions like, "Do you have a better suggestion?" Boy is this a far cry from the belligerent, "I am the decider" we have all become so used to in almost a decade of disastrous leadership.

But it takes more than just one side to make for bipartisanship. Come on Republicans get into the spirit of this new cooperation. Let's all pull as a team to get us out of this quagmire into which we have sunk.

We are not Republicans and Democrats or liberals and conservatives or Red States and Blue States. We are Americans all in the same state of economic collapse with an eroding infrastructure and an over-dependence on foreign imports be they oil or Parker Toys with lead paint from China. If you cannot cozy up to the opposition at least give President Obama an honest hearing when he comes to your house to extend the hand of cooperation.