This open letter to President Obama was written by my son Kyle. Its intent is to remind the President of some of the important promises he so eloquently made to Americans and to the world that sadly, he is not living up to:
Dear President Obama,
I voted for you after being inspired by your platform of "Change." The problems that you inherited are as big or bigger than any President who preceded you. It was said that the country needed another Abraham Lincoln to make the difficult decisions to turn our nation around and as you discussed reading his biography it seemed that you understood the challenges at hand.
So far you have been a disappointment, largely because CHANGE has not come as you are making politically expedient decisions. Those which kick the can down the same old road so that repercussions can be dealt with later.
I will address several of your decisions:
The Economy - the United States is in a state of undeclared bankruptcy as your predecessors have created a massive deficit which is sustainable until it isn't. Continuing down that path (only at an increased pace) will only put the time-frame and decision of when the government will have to live within its means in the hands of those countries that buy our treasuries. CHANGE is stepping up, ending the deficit cycle and using your eloquence to convince the country that we must make the hard decision now and sacrifice. That day is coming, the only decision is whether you make it happen or allow it to happen after making things worse.
The Iraq War - Ending it in 16 months was the policy of CHANGE of Candidate Obama. Your policy as President is exactly the same as the last President. In fact your speech announcing the "new" policy was almost verbatim as Mr. Bush's.
The War in Afghanistan / Pakistan - Increasing our commitment to this is a huge mistake although I can’t argue that it isn’t a change. Please Google the history of Afghanistan and note that this region is where empires go to die.
In short it appears that you are letting the military set our foreign policy. As I mentioned in discussing the massive spending of money we don't have; we are borrowing to kill and build in these countries which is fomenting hatred and using precious resources (blood and treasure) which are desperately needed at home. This is CHANGE that Dick Cheney would believe in but not those who want to end the killing and spending.
Dan Choi - This is the most disturbing example of your lack of leadership so far. Candidate Obama said that "don't ask don't tell" was discrimination and would end that policy. You are now confronted with a West Point Graduate who has led troops in 2 tours of combat duty in Iraq AND is an Arab linguist. As he has now admitted to being gay, he is being discharged under "don't ask don't tell" on your watch. What is troubling is that you know this is wrong yet you either choose or are unable to lead. You do not exert your power as the Commander in Chief and do what you know is right (at least that is what Candidate Obama said was right). When you choose to sit silently in the face of injustice then you are showing a lack of courage and are choosing to play politics. This discrimination imbrues the same shameful policies into our history books as those that kept blacks out of the military.
Leadership is making the tough decisions that bear consequences. You are being a politician instead of being the Abraham Lincoln that is so desperately needed. Candidate Obama was in tune with the majority of America as they wanted and voted for change. Stop playing politics and kicking the can down the road and become the LEADER that you were elected to be. That is what our citizens wanted and what our nation needs. Your legacy and our future is in your hands!
Sincerely,
Kyle Kazan
Ps. The Presidential website shows Obama as a misspelling…
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Is The Economy About To Bounce Back?
We're told the tender "Green Sprouts" of economic recovery are starting to appear and the worst is over. As for doubters, since March stock markets have risen. Is the economy about to bounce back from the brink of collapse?
The answer is: The economy may bounce back briefly, but it will collapse. What I'm about to tell you is very strong and crucial for you to know.
Why believe me instead of the "experts?" Because since 2007, when I published "How To Protect Yourself From The Coming Financial Crisis," I've been right. Most experts saw no problems and when they finally did see them, they greatly underestimated their impact. They will again.
What you're seeing is not a recovery but massive spending on wars, weapons, bailouts and "stimulus" programs. It's taxpayer money and is not productive nor sustainable and the borrowings are the biggest in U.S. history. So large that to cover them, the Fed is now printing money out of thin air, which in itself will set the stage for hyper-inflation in the next few years.
Why is this happening? We live in what's become a bubble economy. Because most of our manufacturing base is gone, we make money from stock market run-ups, real estate run-ups and services such as selling other nations' goods to ourselves.
We depend on China, India and other nations to produce for us. And because we have no energy policy, we depend on fossil fuels and for much of our gasoline, we depend on OPEC nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.
Because our government can no longer pay its bills and we can't afford foreign made products, we borrow heavily. This too is unsustainable and we are deeply in debt with no idea how we will ever repay our creditors. They know this and are "worried" to quote our biggest creditor, China.
Yet President Bush and now President Obama want to "stimulate" the economy meaning to elevate our confidence and get us to start spending again. But on what? Stocks? Real estate? Goods made elsewhere? This just leads us back into the bubble.
What can you do?
To protect your job, you must either become a specialist whose services are essential such as a medical professional or an accountant or become a jack of all trades. To firms laying off employees, those employees most likely to be retained are those who perform a vital function or those who can do many different jobs.
Slash your overhead. Sell off non essential items such as extra cars, boats and off road vehicles to get out from under their costs and use the money to pay down your credit cards.
If your credit card debt is out of control, tear up the cards and renegotiate your balances and your interest rate with the credit card companies. You'll save a lot of money and feel much better getting rid of the stress of heavy debt.
Donate. However bad you may have it, there are others that have it worse. Donate your old clothing and donate food or some money to food banks. A dirty little secret in America is that 1 in 9 people depend on food banks for some or all of their food and that number is growing. Whatever you can spare can make a difference to those in dire circumstances. Together we'll get through this financial mess.
Be happy with what matters. Spend time with your loved ones and friends and take time to smell the roses, to enjoy a good book and to do something else that gives your life greater meaning.
Life isn't about possessions and material wealth but about personal growth and about helping others as together we build a better world for all of its inhabitants.
Dick
The answer is: The economy may bounce back briefly, but it will collapse. What I'm about to tell you is very strong and crucial for you to know.
Why believe me instead of the "experts?" Because since 2007, when I published "How To Protect Yourself From The Coming Financial Crisis," I've been right. Most experts saw no problems and when they finally did see them, they greatly underestimated their impact. They will again.
What you're seeing is not a recovery but massive spending on wars, weapons, bailouts and "stimulus" programs. It's taxpayer money and is not productive nor sustainable and the borrowings are the biggest in U.S. history. So large that to cover them, the Fed is now printing money out of thin air, which in itself will set the stage for hyper-inflation in the next few years.
Why is this happening? We live in what's become a bubble economy. Because most of our manufacturing base is gone, we make money from stock market run-ups, real estate run-ups and services such as selling other nations' goods to ourselves.
We depend on China, India and other nations to produce for us. And because we have no energy policy, we depend on fossil fuels and for much of our gasoline, we depend on OPEC nations such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela.
Because our government can no longer pay its bills and we can't afford foreign made products, we borrow heavily. This too is unsustainable and we are deeply in debt with no idea how we will ever repay our creditors. They know this and are "worried" to quote our biggest creditor, China.
Yet President Bush and now President Obama want to "stimulate" the economy meaning to elevate our confidence and get us to start spending again. But on what? Stocks? Real estate? Goods made elsewhere? This just leads us back into the bubble.
What can you do?
To protect your job, you must either become a specialist whose services are essential such as a medical professional or an accountant or become a jack of all trades. To firms laying off employees, those employees most likely to be retained are those who perform a vital function or those who can do many different jobs.
Slash your overhead. Sell off non essential items such as extra cars, boats and off road vehicles to get out from under their costs and use the money to pay down your credit cards.
If your credit card debt is out of control, tear up the cards and renegotiate your balances and your interest rate with the credit card companies. You'll save a lot of money and feel much better getting rid of the stress of heavy debt.
Donate. However bad you may have it, there are others that have it worse. Donate your old clothing and donate food or some money to food banks. A dirty little secret in America is that 1 in 9 people depend on food banks for some or all of their food and that number is growing. Whatever you can spare can make a difference to those in dire circumstances. Together we'll get through this financial mess.
Be happy with what matters. Spend time with your loved ones and friends and take time to smell the roses, to enjoy a good book and to do something else that gives your life greater meaning.
Life isn't about possessions and material wealth but about personal growth and about helping others as together we build a better world for all of its inhabitants.
Dick
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