FOUR SLIPPERY SLOPES

Everyday the newspapers, television news reports, and our websites alert us to increasing encroachment of our government into the affairs of our citizenry. During the first 100 days of the Obama Administration I believe it is on a crash course to grab as much control as possible, before the American public wakes up to the fact that they have lost substantial portions of their cherished liberty.

In the April 20th issue of the Chicago Sun Times there was a very interesting article outlining the huge increase in firearm sales since the election of President Barack Obama. Knowing that Obama has long been an advocate of gun control, many Americans are flooding to gun dealers and purchasing firearms at an alarming rate. Here is an issue where I am supportive of our President, but only to a point.

I am a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment to our Constitution that guarantees our rights to own a firearm. I am totally opposed to the ability to own or purchase an AK47 or ammunition clips that hold 10 or more cartridges. The military and local law enforcement should have the lawful right to possess AK47’s, but not the average citizen. Gangs and immature youth are killing people indiscriminately and the drug lords are slaughtering people across this nation. We must enforce the existing laws fairly and firmly. People who violate the law should be penalized to the fullest extent of the appropriate laws.

Secretary Janet Napolitano has recently stated that the Administration will not move against reinstating the restrictions on assault weapons, because there are not the necessary votes in Congress. The real issue is the fact it does not want to raise any resistance from the gun lobby to any policies that will threaten other Obama legislative goals. Real leadership faces problems head-on and does not trade off what is right or necessary to accomplish something else. What can possibly justify sacrificing the lives of our people, and the destructive influence drugs have on our fellow Americans? Free access to assault weapons in reality restricts our liberty.

Also, the April 20th issue of the New York Times alerted to the announcement by Rahm Emanuel that the Obama Administration may elect to take common stock from American Banks that have received massive government loans. Essentially this action would result in our government nationalizing our banking system. Frankly this proposal scares the hell out of me, because we will have the likes of Senator Christopher Dodd D-CT and Congressman Barney Frank D-MA controlling our banking systems. With their track record of poor over-sight for the past several years this is very disturbing. I for one do not feel our President should have the power to select or fire bank executives, especially when he has no experience in the banking industry. The proposed action is purely Socialism #101.

Despite President Obama’s claims last evening that he did not want to be in the automobile business, the banking business, or the mortgage business, our government will retain about 50% of the stock in Chrysler and some 40% will go to the United Auto Workers. This is pure political “pay for play,” and the American stockholders again are left holding the bag.

Your Commander is delighted to see our President has returned to Washington from his recent journey to the Summit of the Americas, where he was the victim of an ambush publicity stunt from the increasingly dangerous President Hugo Chavez. I believe it is time for our President to keep Air Force One in the hangar and address our economic issues, and stop spreading our ever dwindling supply of money to every country around the world. The recent announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to award $50 million to Haiti is an example of good money after bad in which we will get nothing in return.

When will we ever learn our lessons? The people of United States have been referred to as Ugly Americans around the world, and what has all of our foreign aid money gained us in world opinion. We cannot buy our way out of how others judge us, nor can we buy ourselves out of the economic crisis.

In the first 100 days of the Obama Administration I have not seen TRANSPARENCY or CHANGE, just the same old shell game of attainment of political power. Remember the old Wendy’s commercial “WHERE IS THE BEEF?” What I want to know is ”WHERE IS THE LEADERSHIP AND HONESTY?” One must wonder with so much adversity just how long can our new President retain strong favorability poll numbers.

COMMANDER GRANGER