What Would You Do?

Journalist Judy Woodruff was on the radio this morning talking about the nation’s current economic crisis. She summarized the economic challenges we face and concluded with a question: “If any member of Congress is listening: what would you do? I don’t think anyone has a good and clear answer to that question.”

One could almost see her throwing up her hands in despair, an emotion shared by millions of Americans.

In my view, no one has yet been able to articulate a clear vision of government actions that should be taken to address the complex integrated nature of the entire economy. Mortgage foreclosures, investment firms failing, insurance companies struggling, banks facing insolvency, the entire auto industry on the brink of bankruptcy – and all demand immediate attention.

Ben Franklin noted the natural aversion of man to anticipate and solve problems before they rise to crisis proportions. In his autobiography, he wrote of developing an early plan to unite the colonies and coordinate their resources to provide for their common defense. He was anticipating war with France and tried to advance this idea before a congress of commissioners from each of the colonies meeting in Albany, New York in 1754. (As usual, old Ben was ahead of his time.)

Ultimately, the Franklin plan was judged too bold for the time and rejected on both sides of the Atlantic. Franklin writes in his memoirs that perhaps the later “bloody contest” with England could have been avoided if the congress had the vision to adopt his plan. “But such mistakes are not new: history is full of the errors of states and princes,” he wrote. “Look round the habitable world: how few know their own good, or knowing it, pursue.”

In other words, those who govern are frequently too busy handling the problems of the moment to engage their intellect in a visionary exercise that might anticipate a more urgent problem advancing on the horizon. Franklin wrote, “The best public measures are therefore seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forced by the occasion.”

And so, that’s where we are today:” forced by the occasion” of economic crisis to develop the “best public measure” to address it. President Roosevelt would understand. When FDR was elected in 1932, America was on the precipice of disaster and the state of the union was not good. Fourteen million Americans were out of work when FDR launched his New Deal. If you think the Bush administration and the current Congress have already overstepped in attempting to save the aforementioned industries, consider just some of the steps Roosevelt took in his first 100 days in office:

Emergency Banking Act, giving the President broad powers over all banking transactions.

Economy Act, reducing the salaries of federal employees and payments to veterans.

Reforestation Relief Act, establishing the Civilian Conservation Corps which eventually provided work to 250,000 young men.

Federal Emergency Relief Act, providing grants to states for relief projects.

Tennessee Valley Authority established, providing for construction of dams and power plants in the Tennessee Valley.

Federal Securities Act, providing for the government to register and approve all issues of stocks and bonds.

National Employment System Act, creating a US Employment Service to cooperate with the states in providing employment services.

Homeowners Refinancing Act, providing mortgage money and other aid to homeowners.

National Industrial Recovery Act established the Public Works Administration, providing funds for a major public works program.

Farm Credit Act helped farmers get mortgages at low interest rates.

Banking Act of 1933 sets up the FDIC which was empowered to insure individual bank deposits.

And all that was done in the first 100 days of the new Roosevelt administration. And oh yes, FDR also took America off the gold standard during that time. The net effect was to devalue the dollar and stimulate the economy. The stock market began to recover.

Today, President-elect Barack Obama announced his team of economic advisers and they include Tim Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers, Chair of the National Economic Council. America has been crying for leadership. Now it begins. It appears we don't have to wait until January 20th for the leadership we seek.

So, to Judy Woodruff and anyone else looking for a clear answer, I would say this: If the past is prologue, buckle up and get ready for bold steps and visionary leadership.

It's about time.

Thoughts about change

The talking heads are talking again and they’re saying Obama is no different from any other politician who ever came to Washington touting “change” but doesn't bring any. They cite as evidence his pick of so many old Washington hands for his staff and Cabinet posts. How else do they propose he effect change? He needs people who know how to get things done in Washington. He will counsel with them, and work with them, and through them he will lead the country in a new direction. HE IS THE CHANGE. Through him will change occur.

Bush’s presidency has been like a festering sore. Yes, we want to get rid of it, but if we keep picking at it, it will never heal. Obama is your mother saying, “Stop picking at the scab, and let it heal.” To the talking heads, I say, “Let the Office of President heal, give Barack Obama a chance.” Got that?

OK, and now NPR voices are complaining that Obama is not choosing NPR for his weekly radio address. “If radio was good enough for FDR, it is good enough for Obama,” they say. Good grief. This is not 1932! Obama is using his transition website, change.gov, for his weekly video message and is posting the same message on YouTube.com. Hello, NPR. Communications technology has changed and Obama is simply tapping state of the art tools to stay in touch with the American people. If YouTube is good enough for you and me, why not a President Obama?

Barack Obama has already changed many things. He permanently changed the way presidential campaigns raise money when he raised $500 million dollars from 6.5 million donors. No one has ever done that. Others will try in the future, and that will be fine. The Obama model will likely be the future “public financing” of campaigns that stimulates voter participation throughout the entire process. He has also demonstrated that a 50-state strategy not only works politically but is also more in keeping with our founding democratic principles, that is, solicitation of the broadest measure of public support by presidential candidates from all states. In its purest form, this strategy is a uniting force, and its success something to celebrate. The other party would do well to attempt to emulate it in the future.

Aptera? Absolutely!

It seems to me that the new Aptera (300 mpg!) automobile is to American capitalism as Barack Obama is to representative government. Both are breathtakingly refreshing in their approach to solving pressing problems.

The Aptera is a light-weight, high tech, vehicle that, according to the website of the manufacturer, will be available to residents of California only (darn it) in about a year as an electric car or a plug-in hybrid.

This is not an ad for the car. It is a message for all the Nellie Naysayers out there who believe America’s best days are behind her. Don’t you believe it! Since 1973, we have known there was a finite amount of oil left in the world and, as demand increased and supplies shrank, the price was bound to go up. It did. And while market forces will make the price fluctuate, even pushing it down from time to time, the long term view calls for higher and higher gas prices.

Enter American ingenuity…again. While our elected leadership has mostly slept, American entrepreneurs have been hard at work, and we are beginning to see the fruits of their labors. To paraphrase Captain John Paul Jones, we have not yet begun to invent!

The thought of the Aptera and similar new technology should bring a smile to your face. It must surely be Saudi Arabia’s worst nightmare. It must give Iran's President Ahmadinejad and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez very bad heartburn. Soon…very soon, we may not need so much of their black gold.

Yes, I know China is ready to buy what we don’t…but that is just a temporary salve for the oil producing nations. Their time, as dictators of price for the one of the world’s most valued commodities, is almost up.

And isn't it nice to see the price of oil back to below $60 a barrel again!

GOP is NOT Dead!

Far from it. Over 58 million Americans voted for the McCain/Palin ticket. They voted for the Republican ticket in spite of an incumbent President of their party who set lowest disapproval record in the nation's history, in spite of a disastrous pick for a vice presidential running mate by John McCain, and in spite of the worst meltdown in the economy since the Great Depression.

58 million people actually went to the polls and voted for the Republicans. I would say that's a strong show of support for the current lost cause. 58,343,671 to be exact (although it does not include the Missouri vote which has not been made final).

So, here is some free advice...absolutely no charge: STOP TRYING TO TELL THE AMERICAN VOTER THAT YOU ARE THE PARTY OF LOWER TAXES AND SMALLER GOVERNMENT. You were at one time. You are not now -- and haven't been since around 1980.

If you want to win again, start telling people you are for fair taxation of all Americans -- and those who pay their taxes are the real patriots in our society. Start telling people you are also for responsible government spending for programs and services that strengthen America and that you are also in favor of holding all public servants accountable for their actions, deeds, decisions.

I know it will be hard to fit that on a bumper sticker but you need to figure out a legitimate way to tell this story because right now the American people are not buying that soap you've been selling them for the last 40 years.

Early Release of President Bush

I heard a rumor the other day that there will be a major change in the traditional ceremony at the White House in which the President performs the annual ritual of pardoning the national turkey. The bird is then returned to the turkey farm and allowed to live to a ripe old age.

This year, the TURKEY WILL PARDON PRESIDENT BUSH, releasing him from his Presidential duties early, thus allowing Bush to return to Crawford on the first bus out of town. The turkey will then go into the Oval Office and assume the duties of the President until January 20.

How will they get away with it? Well, the belief is that no one is likely to notice any difference.

The early release of President Bush will be a blessing to the nation.
And that will be a blessing for which all will give thanks this Thanksgiving.

Lock and Load, Rush. Karl Marx is at the door

OK, I want to make one thing clear: anyone who listens for one second to Rush Limbaugh is admitting he is perfectly willing to suspend all semblance of reality in his life. Rush is blaming Obama already for the recession we are in. He is blaming the President-elect for a whole range of national plagues a full 69 days before Obama is set to take the oath of office.

Rush and the nut-case right wingers on talk radio are also responsible for the run on weapons -- especially assault weapons -- at gun stores across the nation. They are telling those foolish enough to listen to them that the next President is going to pass new laws to confiscate their weapons and gun owners should prepare to resist that day, apparently with violent revolution if necessary. Brian Williams had a report about the up tick in gun sales tonight on the Nightly News.

No one could make this up. Who ARE these people who listen to that fruitcake? Please tell them as calmly as you know how, when you have the misfortune to engage them, "Stop, please stop listening to Rush Limbaugh." If possible, add this bit of truth, "Rush is not a patriot; if he were, he would not be seeking to blame Obama for every mistake visited upon the nation the past 50 years, except, of course, the period when Bill Clinton was President. Bill Clinton is still responsible for all the bad that happened in those eight years -- including, I guess, all that peace and prosperity we enjoyed.

Say goodnight, Rush.

Barack Rocks!

Our 44th President of the United States!

(On September 2, while R's were convening in Minneapolis, I speculated on the outcome and this was my post: "While the Republicans are still in convention in Minneapolis, I’ve taken a look at the electoral map and here’s what I see: if the election were held today, Obama would win with 348 electoral votes and McCain would have 190."
At 11 p.m. the final electoral count is not in but it looks like it will be close to that 348 guess of September 2.)