Obama- Promises are made to be broken
During the campaign, then Senator Obama made an unprecedented number of promises to special interest groups, businesses and Americans. The list of promises seems to go on and on, most of them not even being addressed yet. But more interestingly, the ratio of important promises kept versus those broken is jaw-dropping. I’d like to highlight a few of the many broken promises.
Remove troops from Iraq by the end of 2009 - He explained his exit strategy in February as intending “to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq by the end of 2011.” What difference does 2 years make?
No tax increases on anyone making under $250,000 a year - There are numerous faults here, but there is an obvious and key one. Anyone smoke? Obama raised the tax on cigarettes from 39 cents per pack to $1.01 per pack, a 250% increase. Those who are in the lowest income levels tend to smoke the most, and while some may opt to quit, the large majority of them will continue to fork over the cash. Should the global warming bill be passed and signed that would be an additional “tax” on low income Americans. The average household expense would be an additional $3100 to $3800 per year. Average U.S. household income? $50,000 per year. What difference does $200,000 make?
Absolutely no lobbyists will work in the white house - This was broken a few times. Jocelyn Frye, from the National Partnership for Women & Families, was allowed to work on the same project she lobbied for. Same goes for Cecilia Muñoz from the National Council of La Raza. Then of course there is the big one deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn, from Raytheon. Also, Tom Vilsack, Obama’s pick for Secretary of Agriculture, was a registered lobbyist, but never lobbied on agricultural issues. Then there is David Hayes, Deputy Secretary of the Interior. Hayes worked as a lobbyist for San Diego Gas & Electric and Sempra Energy. What difference does a few lobbyists make? It isn’t as though he said “no lobbyists” . . . oh wait.
Will go line by line through legislation to cut out unnecessary spending - . . . I’m speechless. Between the Omnibus and Stimulus bills alone, there was more than $30 billion in pork-barrel spending. You know, things that will really help the economy, like government gold carts, frisbee golf courses and obviously, a dog park. Lest I mention that $252 billion of the stimulus was little more than welfare? We are doubling our deficit this year alone! Any spending above the tax revenue should be listed as “unnecessary spending”. Maybe I think Congress’ and Obama’s salaries are unnecessary. What difference does a few hundred billion dollars make?
Last but definitely not least, allow bills to be seen by the public for 5 days before being signed - His first bill, his second bill, then there is the stimulus bill. All weren’t up for 5 days for the public to view and provide comment. All weren’t emergency bills, as they won’t take effect until later this year. What difference does transparency make?
Obama broke more than a fair number of promises, and kept no where near enough. Even if I don’t agree with his promises, this is about dishonesty. But what difference does honesty make?
