The Oswegonian

The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State

DATE

Nov. 22, 2024

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Obama: salesman or president?

Our nation is in trouble. The national unemployment rate is at a 26 year high of 9.7 percent and in some states the rate is in the double digits. According to the president’s chief economic advisor, Larry Somers, it is expected to remain unacceptably high for years to come. The federal deficit has reached 1.3 trillion dollars in August. Some states are on the verge of bankruptcy. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger held a statewide garage sale. It’s true, I kid you not. Our dollar is losing its value and other countries are calling for a new currency to replace it as the standard. We are losing our status in the world; we have gone from a superpower to a laughing stock. We are empowering our enemies, while losing the trust and respect of our allies. August 2009: we suffered the most troop causalities since the start of the "war on terror," making it the deadliest month thus far.

So what is our great leader, President Obama, doing to save our nation? He is campaigning for health care reform. Yes, Obama feels our greatest crisis that needs the utmost attention is the 46 million Americans who lack health insurance. Wait, my mistake, 30 million uninsured, after all, Obama amended the bill to exclude those who are in the country illegally. It seems that Obama may have his priorities a little mixed up. Is it due to a lack of experience? Is it his altruistic nature? Could he be gunning for sainthood? Hardly. Make no mistake, Obama, along with his cohorts and carefully selected comrades have devised a plan that will allow this administration to gain power as well as control, thus fundamentally changing our country. He is systematically conquering the private sector and transforming the republic. If this health care bill is passed, we will no longer be a free nation.

Some of you may think that I’m a fry short of a happy meal, but hear me out. This bill, HR 3200, affectionately called "Obama Care", is a 1017 page bill written in legalese and is like his speeches, ambiguous. The only thing that is absolutely clear is the fact that the commissioners and czars that Obama puts in place will have total control over the interpretation of the contents of the bill. HR 3200 isn’t about health care.

I understand that the cost of health care is on the rise; however, we still have the best care available in the world. Why else would people from other nations come to the United States for medical treatment? In this country, no one is denied medical treatment. There are already government programs that assist the poor to get medical care. Philanthropists open specialized clinics that offer medical care for certain age groups or specific illness many are free or at a reduced cost. St. Jude Children’s Hospital, funded by the Shriners, is an example. Every Labor Day Jerry Lewis holds a marathon to raise money for muscular and skeletal diseases. My cousin was diagnosed with MD at the age of five. My aunt and uncle never paid a dime for his treatments, home-care, transportation, and high-tech motorized wheelchairs just to name a few of the services MDA provided at no cost. My point is that health care reform is not a pressing issue. So what’s the urgency in passing this bill?

Over the summer, Obama sent his minions back to their constituents to rally support for this bill and to their surprise and Obama’s, the American people were showing up at town hall meetings voicing their concerns over government control of the health care system, not to mention the enormous amount of debt the Obama administration has heaped onto our already fragile economy. The Obama administration, along with the mainstream media, has dismissed the American public. Nancy Pelosi went as far to say that the people who were standing up and voicing their concerns were an AstroTurf movement brought on by big corporations. She claimed that those who oppose Obama are Nazis with Swayze stickers. The administration claims that these outbursts were made by those who are responsible for spreading rumors and lies. Obama and his administration went as far as creating a web site so that people can snitch on those who are lying about Obama and his agenda. It was suggested that it was your personal duty to inform a White House official on those who oppose Obama. Well, if it’s my duty, then I must report the teleprompter. Yes, Obama’s beloved teleprompter is telling lies. Yes, there is rationing, there are huge tax increases, outrageous spending, along with cuts to Medicare, in fact the entire bill may be unconstitutional. Don’t believe me, read the bill. I did.

Obama has now set out to go coast-to-coast holding town hall rallies to gain support for his health care plan. He has done numerous television talk shows and is planning a record breaking five talk shows in one day, this Sunday. Do you see anything wrong with this? Obama is starting to remind me of Billy Fuccillo, you know, that annoying car dealer whose commercials are everywhere. What about the amount of taxpayer dollars being spent on his pep rallies, remember, they estimated it cost roughly $56,000 per hour to transport the president.

On Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009 there was a peaceful march on Washington. The numbers aren’t in yet, but some have it estimated at over $2 million. They believe it out numbered the crowd that attended the Obama inauguration. Don’t you think he has bigger fish to fry than chanting "yes we can" and "fired up, ready to go" at staged town hall events? This administration reeks of desperation, not to mention it is riddled with corruption, which I will be discussing at a later date. Does Obama know that cheerleading is not in the job description? This is unbecoming behavior for the President of the United States and demeans the position. Americans are waking up, I’m asking, are you?