Lets Recap

Obama sure has been busy. For those paying attention, his performance has started to transition from comical incompetence to diabolical deviance. Taking the month in review the American people have begun to see the depths of Obama’s corruption and the damage the “good intentions” of democratic leadership yields. Eric Holder has been implicated in openly lying to the American people regarding the botched “Fast and Furious” campaign aimed at undermining the second amendment, Obama has again seen his political favoritism exposed to the public with the now defunct solar venture Solyndra, and the American people have awaken to a new reality that the President of the United States can commission a panel of individuals that summarily decide whether or not a U.S. citizen can live or die.

As a policy, having the federal government pick winners and losers is a failure. The federal government has no business nor any constitutional authority, and finally no clue on how to decide which businesses should succeed. The bankruptcy of Solyndra is the latest example of this failed ideology. As the crown jewel of the Obama administration’s green jobs program, the policy providing federal loans to Solyndra, operated under the failed belief that the government can buy its way into prosperity and create a market where none exists. Beyond that however, is the reality that Obama used this policy as a means to award his donors at taxpayer’s expense. Much like the first stimulus bill, most of the dollars spent in the green jobs gamut were funneled directly to democratic supporters. With the stimulus bill, the money was spent to keep unionized government workers employed, up to 75% of the stimulus funds were spent for this purpose in certain states, these workers are forced to pay union dues who in turn fund the democrat party. In Solyndra’s case, $535 million in loans were made to a venture being privately funded by George Kaiser an Obama campaign contribution bundler. In the months leading up to the government funding the loan for Solyndra, Kaiser made multiple trips to the white house. Further, the government made the loan despite Solyndra’s poor financial position, significant quarterly losses since inception, and its apparent inability to turn things around. Most significantly, the government restructured the loan putting the tax payers in second position behind Kaiser’s firm despite the fact that, according to currently released memos, the government knew the company was teetering on bankruptcy. All this is coupled with the fact that up to 18 Obama campaign donors are or were in position to profit from Obama’s agenda. Apparently political graft is alive and well in D.C.

While Solyndra is an obvious waste of taxpayer dollars for political gain, Fast and Furious borders on criminal. The government deliberately allowed assault rifles and other weapons to be funneled into the hands of Mexican drug cartels in an apparent attempt to drum up support for increased gun control in the U.S.. While the violence at the border could hardly be orchestrated, the actions carried out under this policy certainly aided the escalation of that violence and ultimately realized the death of American Border Patrol agents with guns provided by the ATF under this program. When initially questioned about the program Attorney General Eric Holder denied any knowledge of its existence or its purpose and Obama backed him on that claim. Yet, recently, memos have been uncovered revealing Mr. Holder not only had knowledge of the program but was regularly briefed on it up to a year before things went bad. Holder’s apparent perjury is a serious infraction by anybody, but especially the Attorney General of the United States. However, rather than call on Mr. Holder to resign, Obama obstinately backs his political ally. The administration desperately wants the growing attention to this scandal to diminish, so much so the White House has placed multiple phone calls to ABC news to voice their anger that the news outlet would dare report on the newly uncovered evidence of corruption. Apparently, the Obama white house’s definition of a free press differs from those of the founding fathers.

Perhaps most disturbing is the precedent set by the recent killing of Anwar Al-Awlaki. A U.S. born terrorist, Awlaki was executed by a drone attack in Yemen. The decision to kill Awlaki rested on the shoulders of a panel of bureaucrats within the Obama white house. It is notable that the president of the United States authorized the assassination of a U.S. citizen without due process and without any formal declaration of war. As if Obama’s duplicitous nature was not already unmistakable, it is patently obvious now that the same man that criticized the Bush administration for enhanced interrogation has now one upped that policy by moving straight to execution; and applied that policy to a U.S. citizen! The same man that fought for due process and a jury trial at ground zero for a non-citizen terrorist, has now ordered the execution of a U.S. citizen without any hint of due process. Where is the left’s moral outrage now? It seems as though water-boarding of foreign terrorists warrants war crimes charges yet the execution of a U.S. citizen merits applause. These actions follow in a long list of actions based simply on the white house’s perception of their potential political gain. By killing Awlaki Obama believed it would demonstrate his willingness to defend America and his tough stance on terrorism, instead it demonstrates his willingness to do whatever he perceives to be politically expedient. The 180 degree turn Obama has made on the abuse of executive authority again demonstrates his lack of principled positions and his dangerous lack of integrity.

With election season ramping up it is more important than ever that the ideas of liberty and limited government make their way into the forefront of political thought in this country. The past few months have given rise to more public outrage at the abuses perpetrated by the bloated federal government and an executive willing to abuse and grab power unchecked. It is becoming even more evident now that if the U.S. is to survive, as founded, it will require a president willing to go on the offense for liberty in the same way Obama is on the offense for tyranny. It is no longer acceptable to sit back and fight to keep the status quo. The status quo is far from acceptable in the eyes of the founders and it is time to find someone who will fight to restore their vision of freedom. While Obama’s actions are appalling to those that value liberty, individual responsibility, and free markets, they have served the purpose of opening the eyes of a complacent populace. It is the duty of all Americans to spread the word, stay informed, and above all protect freedom first!