Reflections On a Monday
Posted on December 8, 2008
President-elect Obama said yesterday on Meet the Press, in a bit of understatement, that the economy “is going to get worse before it gets better.”
He said that as McDonald’s and Walart both enjoyed good months. For them, it is going to get better before it gets worse.
Earlier this year, the big campaign cry was drill here, drill now. That didn’t work that well for Republicans, mostly because of that damned thing called the free market. As prices rose, people bought less. Now prices are low again, as oil prices might migrate below 45 dollars a barrel. Remember this summer, when the price was $150 a barrel.
Of course, everybody wanted to throttle the oil companies when prices are high. I doubt Henry Waxman will move legislation to bail out the oil companies now that prices are low.
You know things are bad when the Arab Sheik who is head of Aramco is talking about investing in solar power, like he did last night on 60 Minutes.
Housing prices continue to fall, which is not good if you are somebody like me who wants to sell his house (we gave up, by the way.) But if you want to buy an affordable house, now is especially a good time to get in the market. The government is thinking about slashing interest rates for mortgages in a desperate attempt to prop up home prices. Nothing better than artificially high prices to make people to overextend their credit so that people can live the live-style with which they are accustomed but can’t really afford.
It is cold in Washington D.C. and according to reports, it is getting colder everywhere. That fits in nicely with global warming hysteria, which is also cooling in the face of a slowing economy.
That didn’t stop House Democrats from ditching the one man who had a realistic view of global warming (John Dingell) and replacing him with somebody who is leading the hysteria parade (Henry Waxman).
Congress and the President are closing in on a agreement to give two of the big automakers some money (but probably not enough to stave off bankruptcy). Look for Democrats to continue policies (including burdensome regulations) that make it harder for Detroit to compete, while not giving them enough money to survive.
As President-elect Obama, the most liberal President-elect in our nation’s history, selects his cabinet, including Hillary Clinton (who would have been the most liberal President-elect on our nation’s history has she beaten Obama in the primary), he is getting criticized for not appointing enough liberals to his cabinet. According to a story in Politico:
“Liberals are growing increasingly nervous – and some just flat-out angry – that President-elect Barack Obama seems to be stiffing them on Cabinet jobs and policy choices.
Obama has reversed pledges to immediately repeal tax cuts for the wealthy and take on Big Oil. He’s hedged his call for a quick drawdown in Iraq. And he’s stocking his White House with anything but stalwarts of the left.
Now some are shedding a reluctance to puncture the liberal euphoria at being rid of President George W. Bush to say, in effect, that the new boss looks like the old boss.
“He has confirmed what our suspicions were by surrounding himself with a centrist to right cabinet. But we do hope that before it's all over we can get at least one authentic progressive appointment,” said Tim Carpenter, national director of the Progressive Democrats of America.”
This is obviously a ploy to get more liberals in the Cabinet, but just look at those policies advocated by the left. Let’s raise more taxes on the rich so that the economy can really tank. Let’s kick Big Oil while they are down to kill even more jobs. Let’s pull out of Iraq now and let the terrorists win. Sound like a plan to me.
One place where the left wing agenda doesn't work is Louisiana. Just ask Bill Jefferson. Two Republican victories there, one huge victory in Georgia, boy the GOP is on a roll. Now, if we can just win North of the Mason-Dixon line.