 An Open Letter to Obama Voters By Katharine DeBrecht December 15, 2009
The evil that was Bush would soon be gone and whatever "Hope and Change" meant to you personally would finally be delivered. Everything was going to be all right, you told yourselves. Obama was going to be President. "Yes We Can" meant, well, whatever you wanted it to be. After nearly a year in office are you still feeling that tingle up your leg? Are you still hopeful? Are you enjoying the change? Since Obama took office, unemployment has jumped to 10 percent, with real unemployment estimated as high as 17 percent. Four million jobs have been lost and federal spending has exploded. In one year Obama has tripled the federal deficit, the largest since 1945. According to Realty Trac, a record 3.9 million homeowners will have received mortgage default notices in 2009. I realize how easy it is to blame the Bush Administration for all of these things. After all, the current President does it on a regular basis. May I remind you, however, that the current recession started in 2007 and Obama and his fellow Democrats took control of the House and Senate after the 2006 mid-term elections. President Bush rolled over and signed many of the economy-killing and budget-busting bills for which Democrats, including then Senator Obama, voted. The TARP bill, which Obama recently claimed was "launched hastily under the last Administration" and "flawed" was supported by Obama who at the time called on Washington to "step up to the plate and get things done." So how has the community-organizer-turned-instant-chief-executive run the country so far? His "stimulus" bill to "save or create" jobs included funding for:
Now Obama and his fellow Democrats are attempting to take over 1/6th of the economy in a healthcare debacle that a large majority of Americans oppose. How have different segments of the American population fared with Obama's initiatives so far? Black America - The unemployment rate among African-Americans is 15.6 percent and the unemployment gap between African-Americans and others has widened to 7 percent according to CNN. Fifty percent of the homes foreclosed on are owned by African-Americans. Young America - According to a September Department of Labor report, youth unemployment has climbed to a staggering 53.4 percent. This fall college tuition increased 6.5 percent for public (4.4 percent for private) institutions. Seniors - For the first time since 1975 there will be no Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) for Social Security recipients. Meanwhile, ObamaCare has proposed $500 billion in cuts in Medicare. Gays - Obama has yet to overturn the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" military policy from the Clinton Era. An opponent of gay marriage, he has yet to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Anti-War Crowd - Despite his promises, Obama has yet to close GITMO, and Bush's wiretapping policies have been kept in place. While the President has approved a surge in Afghanistan after much dithering, 2009 was the deadliest year in Afghanistan since the war began. Those wanting a "better standing" in the world - President Obama has consistently managed to snub our staunchest allies in Europe while achieving nothing regarding Human Rights in China and voting "present" on the escalation of Iran's nuclear program. While apologizing to the world for America's history of liberating oppressed people, Obama has also chosen to provide terrorists in New York City an infomercial to spew their anti-American, anti-freedom rhetoric to the world. Meanwhile the TSA basically posted its version of "Getting Past Airport Security for Dummies" online. I guess that just leaves you with "Hope." Hope that fossil research in Argentina, the pattern of honeybees, and exit polls in Africa will somehow translate into a new job. Hope that the unparalleled largesse in Washington will magically disappear and our kids, like the politicians in Washington, will not be held accountable for egregious debts. Hope that some of the scraps from the lavish parties, bloated bureaucratic salaries and political paybacks inside the beltway will be tossed your way. Hope that our enemies will decide "Gosh, darn, with this eloquent speaker in charge, why would we blow up their cities?" I understand that many of you have a vested, emotional interest in seeing Obama succeed as President. You voted with your heart for a brand that was filled with empty dreams of hope and change, rather than rationally confronting the realities of economic and national security. Hope can be a powerful concept. Yet, I can hope all day long that I win the next Powerball, but it does nothing for my pocketbook or the security of my family. I do have one hope, however. You realize you got what you voted for and how the rest of America has suffered because of it. Katharine DeBrecht About: Katharine DeBrecht is
a political commentator, freelance writer and the author of
the popular Help! Mom! children's book series. Katharine
has been a frequent guest on FOX NEWS, appearing on shows such
as The O'Reilly Factor, Fox Friends, Fox News Live and
The Live Desk. She has also made appearances on Sinclair
and MSNBC. A freelance writer, Katharine's opinion pieces have
been printed in newspapers across the country, including The
Los Angeles Times, and online magazines such as Human
Events and World Net Daily. Her books have been
profiled on national television and radio outlets, such as Hardball
with Chris Matthews, CNN's Headline News and The
Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, Fox News Radio, The G. Gordon
Liddy Show, NPR, XM Radio, Sirius and The Daily Show with
Jon Stewart, and in print media across the globe. Her first
book, Help! Mom! There Are Liberals Under My Bed!, climbed
to #1 on BarnesandNoble.com in September 2005. A cum laude graduate
of Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, IN, she resides with her
husband and children in South Carolina. Her newest book, Help!
Mom! Radicals Are Ruining My Country! was just released November,
2009. Received December 14, 2009 - Published December 15, 2009
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