PrintAugust 14, 2009
Obama's Pitchforks
"My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks" -- Barack Obama, meeting with the CEOs of the nation's 13 largest banks, Mar. 27, 2009
Today, the only thing between the President and members of Congress and the Obama's metaphorical pitchforks is the restraint and good character of the American people.
We're upset. A wave of populist resentment is growing.
Start with the $700 billion bailout of the banking industry last October, featuring the hysterical shrieking of the Secretary of the Treasury. Former Goldman Sachs CEO Henry Paulson's hysterical behavior caused the bottom to fall out of the markets. Business froze. People were transfixed. What did he say? The system is crashing? I don't see that in my business. Two weeks later they did as wallets slammed shut all over the world. Nothing will close a wallet faster than a cry of panic from the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States of America.
Stock markets crashed. Retirement portfolios nuked. The American public started getting pissed off.
Then came the bailouts of GM and Chrysler. Everybody I talked to knew that GM and Chrysler should have been left to the bankruptcy courts right away. They made black circle cars and had been losing market share for decades to competitors who made better products at lower prices. But, our brilliant lame duck Bush administration decided to throw the ball into Obama's court and let these basket case companies rot for a little while longer. A feeling of powerlessness and frustration rises.
Then, President Obama passed a budget that increased our spending and increased the national debt by a few more trillions of dollars. Upsetting.
Next, the economic "stimulus" program which was passed by the House and the Senate 1. without anyone reading the bill, and 2. without any significant public debate. No input whatsoever from the public. Massive, wasteful pork barrel spending program passed without the consent of the governed. Irritation rises across the country.
During the winter, we all watched as large banks started wallowing in cash and then raised credit card rates as high as 30 percent.
Then came the manipulated rage against AIG bonuses. This was a clear case of the Obama Administration trying to deflect the public's attention from their own fiscal mismanagement and attempts to channel the public's rage against rich Wall Street Types. To prove how mad the public was, the Administration sent 3 busloads of ACORN "protesters" to AIG's headquarters where they picketed in front of the TV cameras they brought with them to the "rallies". Didn't fool the American public for a second. Simmering resentment over being treated as fools.
Next up? The cram down bankruptcies of Chrysler and GM, and the wasting of at least another $60 billion of our money. Now the US Government owns a majority share in what was once the world's largest manufacturing company. Who won? Labor unions and corporate executives. Who lost? The American public. We don't like getting ripped off but we got ripped off big time on this one.
Next came Cap and Trade. Americans know that the Global Warming crowd has a history of doomsday prophecies that have not happened, yet is attempting to rush through the Cap and Trade law which would increase our utility bills by hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per year for no apparent reason at all. Frustration mounts. Even Democrats started realizing that they might not be re-elected if they passed this bill and the bill stalls but doesn't die.
Then came ObamaCare. The Administration put enormous pressure on Congress to rush this bill through in 3 weeks. What? Overhaul the American public health system covering every person in the country with no public debate or discussion in 3 weeks? Are you angry?
Well, now, yes we are. Now the American public is angry with the political class. This growing upset was successful again in stalling this atrocious legislation. But the bill remains alive and the Democrats have their enormous margin in both chambers of Congress.
This frustration and anger came to the fore during town hall meetings this summer with Congressmen and Senators.
However, the only violence that has occurred has been by SEIU union thugs beating up on average citizens showing up to voice their constitutionally protected rights of free speech and assembly.
Although there are usually police present at these town hall meetings, they are not needed to protect the politicians from the public, they are there to protect the public from the "volunteers" brought there by the Democratic Party.
There doesn't need to be anybody to protect the politicians from the pitchforks wielded by all of us Americans who cling to our Bibles and our guns.
We need to be protected from the pitchforks brought in by the community organizer and his friends.
We're irritated because we are not being allowed to participate in the debate over laws which affect us deeply and personally, and that most of us feel are destroying our country. But, we are not violent, we are not criminals, we want to be heard and we want the laws discarded or changed so they are better laws, better laws that bring about a better America.
What's wrong with that?
