Maybe he[Obama] can't?!?

Chicago Saturday PM 16 January 2010

Editors, The UK Financial Times

Gentlepeople:

The Financial Times' Edward Luce opens his Friday, January 15 “Maybe he can't” column quoting Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel that “a moment of great crisis was also an opportunity” and "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste.” Further on Mr. Luce quotes another Democrat, former majority leader Dick Gephardt: "Detroit reminded us that Obama is one bomb away from a failed presidency." These two quotes unfortunately show that to post-FDR Democrats, party success/failure is more important than that of the country.

Mr Luce then compares Rahm Emanuel's “support for a 'big bang' approach to the legislative agenda” to the “sweeping reforms FDR initiated in his first spell in office” And certainly one of those 'sweeping reforms' was the Social Security myth, that somewhere in DC is a huge pile of money waiting for citizens to retire and live on. There's a huge pile, all right, of bonds saying “Future citizens will pay...” but as the US Supreme Court said in its 1960 Fleming vs Nestor decision:

" To engraft upon the Social Security System a concept of "accrued property rights" would deprive it of the flexibility... in adjustment to ever-changing conditions which it demands and which Congress probably had in mind when it expressly reserved the right to alter, amend or repeal any provision of the Act.”

Mr. Luce closes his lamentable column quoting a 'prominent liberal supporter of Mr Obama': "I think on most fronts, he is doing all that he can."

What all can you expect someone to do whose international experience was limited to five crucial pre-teen years slogging thru the mud of Indonesia; work experience shared between 'community organizing' (a Chicago euphemism for Democrat vote hustling,) Illinois state senator (a job requiring no more skill than a Chicago Bears' jock strap attendant, without the responsibility) and non-tenured college instructor in constitutional law? Overnite you give the responsibility of choosing people to fill the highest, most influential jobs in the country, to someone who never hired anyone more consequential than a baby sitter, the responsibility of making major economic decisions to someone who has never met a private-sector payroll . What can you expect him to do?

Anyone with the single skill of unmatched mastery of a communication device unknown before 1982, but without the potential of becoming the first black US president,, would have needed to buy their own ticket to Iowa in January 2007, then been fortunate to be met by their grandmother.

Arnold H Nelson 5056 North Marine Drive Chicago IL 60640 ah_nelson@yahoo.com