Is Obama A Fool Or A Genius?

  US News

Monty Pelerin / EconomicNoise.com

Something is very wrong with the US economy. People may not be able to put their concerns into sophisticated economic terms, but they know things no longer work in the manner they once did. Government pretending otherwise does not ease these concerns.

What is being called a recovery is unlike one. How can there be a recovery when unemployment, reported at 8.3% but arguably much higher, does not budge and people everywhere seem to be hurting? Three years after the recession ended, things are no better. People are increasingly concerned about jobs, feeding their families and just getting by. A recent Rasmussen survey showed only 14% believe their children will have better lives than their parents. That is staggering. More people probably believe Elvis is still alive.

Despite the best propaganda efforts of the political class and their cohorts in the mainstream media, people are scared. They know every time they shop that the necessities of life — food, energy, medical costs, college expenses, etc. – are up in cost. Their homes are worth less (many are “underwater”) and whatever savings/investment they had have likely decreased in value, especially in real purchasing power terms. They are becoming poorer. They know it and see nothing happening that will reverse the trend.

Here are a few of the conditions they know or sense:

• Housing prices are off an average of 35%
• The real weekly wage is lower today than it was in 1966.
• 48 percent of all Americans are now considered to be “low income” or poor.
• In excess of 50% of last year’s college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed.
• Since Obama took office gas prices have risen from $1.85 to over $3.60 per gallon.
• The number of Americans receiving food stamps exceeds 46 million, up about 45% since Obama assumed office.
• The Federal Government is heading to insolvency. Since Republicans assumed control of the House, debt has increased by over $1.6 trillion.

This list could be expanded by scores of additional items, but these are enough to justify the fears of the average citizen. Few understand what is happening. Even fewer know how to protect themselves.

It is times like these that enable governments to grow bigger while creating more clients (dependents). Two H. L. Mencken observations seem applicable to our current condition:

All government, of course, is against liberty.

Most people want security in this world, not liberty.

Scared people want someone to take care of them, even when they sense the solution may have caused the initial problem. “Give me security and safety at any cost” seems to be the motivation when things get tough. Desperate people are willing to trade liberty for food and shelter. As economic conditions worsen, and they will, the movement toward more Socialism will accelerate.

President Obama is a complete and utter failure when judged in terms of America’s traditional goals. He is a bumbling fool, perhaps even an idiot. But are we using the wrong standard to judge the man?

It has been said that even crazy people are rational. Their actions appear crazy only because we assume they are pursuing our goals. When we make this assumption, their actions appear irrational. But if their goals are different, then their actions may be quite rational. If we were to choose their goals, we might try to achieve them in the same fashion.

Perhaps we judge Obama’s performance by the wrong standards. What if Obama’s goals are not what we think they are or should be. Then a judgment of his success based on our goals is inappropriate. He told us he meant to transform the country. Did no one believe that? Why did someone not ask 1) what was wrong with the country as it is? or 2) what are you going to transform it to?

If his goal was to transform the country into a Socialist state, then he has been a great success. Based on this objective, one would have to say he is not a fool but a genius.

His fellow ideologues probably consider him to be our greatest president in terms of the “progress” he has made. Most of the country, judging by a different goal, consider him our worst president. Current civilization is apt to judge him as its worst nightmare.

Judgments of actions ultimately depend on what goal is being pursued

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