Thursday, July 10th - Zero: Change

Make that just Zero Change.

That is what we are getting with Mr. Barak "Change we can believe in" Obama.

I saw on the news this morning that Obama now 'regrets' having his daughters appear in an interview with Access Hollywood. Now, I would think that the biggest regret there would be doing an interview with Access Hollywood in the first place. But I'm just one of those bitter Americans that think Tabloids are fodder for the lowest forms of human life - celebrities that are famous for.. oh forget it. I don't have the energy for more than one rant today....

Anyway, the regret factor. With John Kerry, we called it flip-flopping. Growing up, we called it crawfishing, indian-giving, or we would scream 'NO TAKEBACKS!!!'

Obama is pretty dang good at 'regrets'. In April of this year, he regretted calling us Americans that believe in God and our Constitutional rights bitter. Back in February of 2007, he announced that he regretted saying that American Soldiers that had died in the war lived wasted lives. And let's not forget that he regrets buying that property back in Nov 06 from his good buddy (and current jailbird) Tony Rezko.

It almost sounds like Barack Obama is a politician. Hmmmm. So, what exactly is this Change he's gonna bring? His biggest speeches have been ripped right out of the mouth of other politicians. Most of his campaign staff comes from other politicians. His platform is a total mishmash of (yes) other politicians. Did anyone really doubt that he was going to get sucked into the Washington DC machine?

Heck, just this week he voted FOR the new NSA wiretapping bill. You know, the very one that he said he HATED so much that he vowed to filibuster it???? This, just after his economy speech in St. Louis where he pretty much used the 'a chicken in every pot' speech from Herbert Hoover.

The ambitious Obama economic agenda laid out in St. Louis includes:

More tax money for education, government subsidies for "green energy" companies, more tax money for "rebuilding our schools, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure that needs repair," $50 billion immediately for a new "stimulus package" to send "energy rebate checks" to less-affluent households, plus $1,000 to every American household in more enduring tax relief, tax money to bail out "families who find themselves mired in debt," a new "pension plan" that includes a government subsidy of up to $500 a year for households making less than $75,000 a year, $4,000 a year in free (aka taxpayer paid) tuition for anyone who pledges "national service," a new mortgage tax credit on top of the existing one for "10 million homeowners" and more taxpayer subsidies for day care through the child-care tax credit.

Make that two chickens, three French hens and a partridge in every pear tree, at least.

All this on top of a universal health-care plan that will "help families who are struggling under the crushing burden of health-care costs by passing a plan that brings the typical family's premiums down by $2,500 and guarantees coverage to everyone who wants it."

And Obama says he can pay for all this spending by cutting in corporate tax "loopholes" and "tax havens" -- oh, yes, and by "responsibly" losing the war in Iraq.

"My plan is detailed and specific when it comes to cutting spending. In fact, all my new spending proposals would be more than paid for by spending reductions," he opined.

And Obama promises to vastly expand taxpayer obligations for a new and expensive network of benefits at the same time that neither he nor anyone else in Washington -- including John McCain -- will tell us how to pay for our existing underfunded obligations to senior citizens in Social Security, Medicare and prescription drug benefits.

All gain, no pain. That's Obama's totally conventional Washington promise to the American people.

Meanwhile, a reality check: Over the next two generations the proportion of Americans over age 65 will more than double. Paying for our existing promises of health care and retirement security for senior citizens without crushing the economic dreams of younger working Americans is the most important task Washington faces domestically. Delivering on existing promises to seniors is going to require the difficult combination of substantial tax increases and at least modest benefit cuts, most likely in the form of increases in the retirement age.

How can any responsible leader make vast new pledges and commit taxpayer dollars to grand new obligations until we've found a way to pay for our existing promises to America's senior citizens?

Oh, silly me, we are talking about a Washington politician, aren't we?

Money for nothing, and your healthcare for free.... Change you can believe in? Depends on how many hallucinogens you took in your misguided youth...

Peace, Love, and God,
Tracy