Election Hind Sight and Foresight

Only Time Will Tell

Editorial Writers like to look back on events to see if something foretells the results that come to pass, such as the current results in the Presidential election. If the Republicans made one huge mistake it was allowing Barack Obama to take George Bush out of the election. George Bush was the only person in the world that could have adequately refuted the allegations that he was personally responsible for the economic downturn preceding the election. What should have happened was Pres. Bush giving a prime time TV explanation of events that caused the downturn, none of which could be laid at the steps of the White House. In a free economy Presidents to not control such things as market prices of oil, outsourcing of jobs to other countries or higher unemployment and stock market fluctuations that result. The people of the United States deserved hearing his position unique at the helm of our government. No other man in the White House could have stemmed the tide of economic downturn in this decade any more than in all previous decades and disastrous downturns. Not even Barack Obama.

Obama did make one excellent promise during the election and the one promise I hope he can keep. Only time will tell. He promised to end tax exemptions for businesses that out source jobs to other countries. It remains to be seen if that edict will apply to companies that have already outsourced thousands of job to other countries or if it merely applies to new outsourcing in the days that follow. What ever remedy is enacted it could result in the return of jobs to the United States badly in need of buying power seriously diminished by previous outsourcing and contributing to the economic downturn.

Without a crystal ball we cannot know what the end result will be if Obama makes an early retreat from Iraq and Afghanistan. While it is true that we have lost approximately 5,000 fine Americans in the five year conflict, we need be reminded that in one day we lost 3,000 fine Americans at the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, etc. The death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan from terrorist bombings is staggering and much, much higher. George Bush and John McCain wanted to be sure the enemy was absolutely discouraged from contemplating other such horrendous attacks. And that is why John McCain said, "If it takes ten years!" Another day such as 9-11 would regrettably make the electorate understand the Republican position on the war in Iraq. We hope and pray that such a day never ever happens again.

The election results were much closer than I expected. The gap was closing in the final days and speaks well of John McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate. I hope she continues in political arena during the years to come. She is very uncommon and bright. It was sad to see attempts to discredit her obvious right to hire and fire while Gov. of Alaska the largest state in the Union.

America is a changed country. The population and therefore the electorate has changed. The financial community has changed. There are thousands of foreign investors in this country. One must, at the least, ask if they played a role in the manipulation of oil prices and/or the stock market or anything else related thereto. If I were the outgoing President I would certainly be investigating those invasive possibilities, as the president's responsibilities continue until he leaves the office.

George Bush mistakenly retreated from the political scene because of low popular opinions thereby denying the people the right to know the truth about the economic crises that was evolving. It was a serious mistake.

Opportunistically Barack Obama blamed John McCain and George Bush for the crisis which was actually unconscionable and far from the truth. An electorate made up of many new inhabitants and new voters voted along racial or nationalistic lines without the knowledge required to ferret out the truth from rhetorical assertions. As result we have a new President elect. A gifted speaker with at least one promising idea; to discourage outsourcing of jobs and possibly to return jobs to the United States of America. For that reason he almost got my vote.

Only time will tell.........

Richard