Who is Nancy Pelosi?

I wanted to write these comments earlier but I have been engaged in a number of intersting activities recently.

Nancy Pelosi who represents San Francisco in the Congress is the current Speaker of the House of Representatives and third in line for the Presidency--after President Obama and Vice President Biden. She is responsible for pushing some very liberal and expensive legislation through the current Congress. She has also recently received a lot of attention by accusing CIA briefers of lying to her about a number of things including allegedly not telling her about the use of waterboarding of three prominent terrorists in 2002. Her comments have been contradicted by other members of Congress and by CIA officials who attended those meetings. When confronted by this information she gave what can only be described as an inept press conference.

But where did Nancy Pelosi-two hardbeats from the Presidency-come from? While she currently represents California in the Congress, she is orginally from my hometown of Baltimore. Her father, the late Thomas D'Alessandro Jr., was Mayor of Baltimore for three terms and ran the classic Democratic political machine by rewarding friends and eliminating enemies from the political process. While a number of questionable things were done during his administration his most notable action was awarding me with my high school diploma. Nancy was the only girl among six children and she learned politics as a combat sport. She married a wealthy banker, moved to California, had five children and through a combination of money and hardball politics became the Speaker of the House.

So when you see Speaker Pelosi attacking her political opponents and charging the CIA with lying think about her roots.

Remembering Jack Kemp

There has been a lot of coverage of the passing of Jack Kemp this past weekend. He was a remarkable person who went from being an all-pro quarterback to a successful congressman, cabinet secretary and vice presidential nominee. He was a strong advocate of supply side economics and tax cuts and promoted many of the successul policies of the Reagan Administration.

During the 1970s our family attended Fourth Presbyterian Church just outside Washington, D.C. This church had an outstanding pastor, Richard C. Halvorsen, who later became the chaplain of the U.S. Senate. Many prominent government leaders attended Fourth, including the Kemp family. One of his daughters, Jennifer, was in my sixth grade Sunday School class, and I would frequently see Congressman Kemp at church displaying his great enthusiam whenever he was engaged in a conversation.

Every year Fourth held a men's dinner in which a prominent guest, usually an elected official, was the featured speaker. Jack Kemp was the speaker one year and the person who introduced him was named Earl. Earl was virtually blind, but despite this handicap he was always positive. He held a full time job and was very active in the church. In his introduction Earl praised Jack Kemp for all he had done and closed by saying, "Jack you are my hero." When Kemp got up he turned to Earl and said, "Earl you are the real hero and you are my hero." That comment generated cheers and tears that I will not forget.

Jack Kemp was a brilliant conservative thinker who had a huge and positive impact on his party and country. He strongly believed that ideas matter and that the GOP should welcome people from all backgrounds, especially minorities, into its ranks. At this time many people are asking where the next Ronald Reagan will come from. They could just as easily ask where the next Jack Kemp will come from. He was a man of big ideas and who really connected with the Earls of the world.

The First 100 Days Feels Like 100 Years

The press is heavily focused on the first 100 days of the Obama presidency. This has been the benchmark for all new Presidents to be measured against since Franklin Roosevelt's first 100 days of New Deal in 1933. Regardless of ones opinion of the President and his policies what has transpired since January 20 can only be described as breath taking in its audacity. The Administration's strategy is clear--Keep the President's personal approval numbers high with the willing assistance of most of the media while daily promoting new leftwing policies that many people don't approve of or are at least suspious of. In just 100 days we have had an unread $1 billion (includes interest) stimulus bill and a carry over budget with over 8,000 earkmarks pass Congress, a proposed $3.5 trillion dollar budget, national healthcare, cap and trade and many other spending plans that guarantee massive debt and taxes for the future.

The move to super big government has been astounding. The government does or will have major stakes in banks, insurance providers and car companies. The President has fired the CEO of GM and Congress wants to tax the rate of private sector bonuses. Decisions regarding who is fired and what those people earn should be made by the private sector, not by the government. We now know that once you accept government assistance your future is controlled in Washington not at your headquarters.

In foreign policy the President has actually retained the previous administration's policies in Iraq and Afghanistan after campaigning against them as a candidate. Meanwhile, he has reached out to dictators like Chavez, Castro and Ortega while insulting our British friends. Gitmo is to be closed but no one knows where the prisoners will be sent. Alleged torture of terrotists is forbidden but all forms of abortion of the unborn is ok.

Just think this is only the first 100 days. Wait until we see who the President selects for the Supreme Court, how many more companies will be taken over by the government and what new taxes we will be paying. Stay tuned.

Train Ride To The Big Tea Party

On Tax Day I went to the Atlanta Tea Party. One of the big challenges I faced was how to get there. The Atlanta event was held at the state capital in downtown Atlanta from 7-10 in the evening. Driving in Atlanta traffic at rush hour with the Braves also playing a game that night seemed very unappealing. So I chose to ride the Marta subway train which would be more efficient and less expensive (After all I had just sent in a rather large tax payment to Uncle Sam and saving money protesting government tax policy seemed like an appropriate alternative). I had visions of walking into the Marta station buying a ticket and going downtown. What a shock. The station was packed with hundreds of people who had the same idea. The lines were long to get tickets and the trains were packed going to the event.

The crowd was good natured, diverse with ages ranging from the very young to senior citizens, and truly dedicated to a cause they thought was worth leaving the comfort of their suburban homes for and to spend an evening in downtown Atlanta. The signs were everywhere and creative. "Revolution is Brewing", "IRS-RIP", and many saying "Get Your Hand Out of My Piggybank." A number of ladies who wore teapots as hats received a lot of cheers. When the train load of riders got off they poured into side streets surrounding the capital since the capital grounds were already full of people. Like most of those assembled I watched the speakers on a jumbo tron while at the same time watching the crowd. I observed no "incidents" and the greatest display of anger was that of members of the military who were dismayed by the just released Homeland Security report implying that returning veterans should be watched for possible terrorist associations. The signs and crowd (closer to 20,000than the 10,000 estimated by the local media) at the capital was even more diverse with many signs advocating the Fair Tax to an African American couple holding up a sign supporting Sarah Palin.

After hearing a lot of speeches and watching most of the Sean Hannity Show including his interview with Joe The Plummer (Joe has really enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame) I returned home on Marta. While it was now late and the trains were packed the crowd was still good natured and its members I talked to were glad they had come. The engineer who had a two hour ride to get home after arriving at the Marta station was thrilled that his sign got air time on the Sean Hannity Show. The student who drove two hours from the University of Georgia to attend the rally and a young banker both acknowledged that unless things change they will have few opportunities for success in the future because of the projected high taxes they will have to pay.

While the leftwing media has attempted to marginalize the tea parties and attack those who attended them as racist losers, I was encouraged by the quality and quantitive of those attending the event. Let's see how this all plays out. What do you think?

Tea Party Reporters Requested

If you are attending a Tea Party on April 15, watching one on TV or listening to commentary about a Tea Party from the national or local media send me your thoughts--good and bad about the Tea Parties and their impact. I will put the comments together in a future blog. Send comments to tykef@bellsouth.net.

Grading Obama's Trip Overseas and Will the Left try to Ruin the Tea Parties?

President Obama's just completed overseas trip received major coverage and now everyone is trying to determine what it all means. The following is a report card on the various aspects of the trip.

Rhetoric (With Teleprompter): Obama provides great rhetorical flourishes in front of big crowds. I am, however, noticing a trend where the audience gets less enthusiatic as the speech drags on. Grade: A-

Rhetoric (Substance) A great deal of the substance of Obama's speeches focused on how bad the last 8 years were and how arrogant our nation had become. Not impressive for a President. Not in the class of JFK or Ronald Reagan. Grade: C-

Rhetoric (Without Teleprompter) When Obama is off message he has problems. Calling the UK "England" (the Irish and Scots don't like this) and refering to the "Austrian" language causes one to wonder what he was learning at Columbia and Harvard. If "W" or Sarah Palin has said these things the press would have had a field day. Grade: C-

Photo Ops: Pictures of the President in front of the big crowds and the troops were a plus. Bowing to the Saudi king was a minus. Grade: B

Accomplishing Major Goals: The key European countries opposed his request to spend more stimulus money (a bad idea) and to send more troops to Afghanistan. (a good idea). Grade: F

World Response To Obama's Charm. In the middle of his trip North Korea fired a missile and Obama, of course, asked the UN for help. His new buddies the Chinese and Russians opposed him. After making a big deal about how we loved and respected the Muslim world in his speech in Turkey, Somali (Muslim) pirates hijacked an American-flagged ship for the first time and at this writing are currently holding the captain hostage. In fairness most, but not all, of the European fashion magazines liked Mrs Obama's outfits. Grade: F--Fashion is not going to save the world.

Special Alert: There are reports that members of ACORN and other leftwing groups will try to infiltrate the April 15 Tea Parties in order to create acts of violence that they hope will be shown on TV. This makes attendance at these events all the more interesting.

Time For a Tea Party

In 1773 angry colonists dressed as Indians captured a British vessel in Boston harbor and dumped its contents of tea overboard. The Americans were protesting a tea tax imposed by a British Parliament in which they had no representation. Eighteen months later the first shots of the American Revolution were fired not far from the sight of the Boston Tea Party. Thanks, in many ways, to the now famous rant of CNBC reporter Rick Santelli ad hoc tea parties protesting the policies of the Obama Administration and the Congress have sprung up all over the country. As the new administration and Congress appear ready to pass and sign a $3.6 trillion budget which virtually assures massive debt for the country and higher taxes in some form for everyone a rising tide of anger and frustration is sweeping the country.

On April 15, the day when most Americans are reminded that the price of liberty and civilization is not cheap, "Tea Parties" are planned all across the country. In recent years most mass protests have been promoted by liberal groups for a variety of causes. The upcoming tea parties, however, appear to have the support of more conservative groups and individuals who believe the policies coming out of Washington are a threat to individual liberty and are a danger to the long term well being of the country.

It will be interesting to see what kind of messages come out of these gatherings, how large the crowds are and what kind of media coverage they receive. The main stream media loved to provide substantial coverage of any protest against former President Bush (ten people camped outside of his ranch in Texas would receive major press attention). It will also be interesting to compare how the attendees at the tea parties conduct themselves compared to violent leftwing demonstrations such as those witnessed at the current G-20 meeting in London. (I have a hard time believing that the tea party participants will be throwing rocks at government buildings).

In 1773 American colonists protested what they viewed as the bad policies of a remote government. Britain failed to heed the protests and the rest as they say is history. It will interesting to see how the administration and Congress react to what may be many massive outpourings of protest. See you at a Tea Party.

Let's Be Nice To Iran?

While most people are focused on the current economic crisis and the Obama Administration's audacious response to it there is another issue that will soon be coming to head that could overshadow the economy in importance. Last week President Obama made a video that was shown on YouTube in which he respectfully addressed the leaders of the "Islamic Republic of Iran" and sought to find common ground. This was the first step in his effort to fulfill his campaign pledge of meeting with rogue leaders without preconditions. The leaders he addressed so respectfully are the Mullahs and President Achmadinajad who have enslaved their own people, refer to the U.S. as "the Great Satan" and who have sworn to wipe Israel off the map. It was obvious that the Iranian leadership saw Obama's video as a sign of weakness as they basically ridiculed the statement and said that any improvement in relations with the U.S. would be tied to dropping our support for Israel.

Meanwhile, as Obama tries to make nice with the Iranian leaders, Israel's next Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is putting together a government whose first mission will be to confront the growing threat of Iran's nuclear program. Many analysts believe that the Israelis will have to eliminate Iran's nuclear facilities by June to insure their country's safety. The irony is that as Israel has chosen a conservative hardline government to protect itself, its strongest ally, the United States, has elected a leftwing government that believes that the leaders of Iran can be charmed by Obama's diplomacy. The moment of truth could come if/when Israeli aircraft fly over Iraqi airspace to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. The Iraqi airspace is currently under the control of the United States. In the past there would be no doubt that the U.S. Government would "look the other way" and allow such over flights. One can only hope that the current administration will not interfere.

Obama's economic policies of big spending and higher taxes are in sharp contrast to those of the late Ronald Reagan. There is, however, an even greater contrast between Obama's effort to win over the rulers of Iran by going on YouTube and Reagan's strong words in Berlin 22 years ago, "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear down this Wall." The times they are certainly changing.

A Stimulus Program You Can Believe In

How about a program that doesn’t cost the tax payers a nickel, helps professionals get jobs every week, promotes spiritual values and is starting to get a lot of national attention. During the past year I have been involved in a number of networking groups attended by people who are seeking employment in the midst of the current economic downturn. What has been most impressive has been the involvement of churches throughout the country to help people in their communities. There is a large organization called Crossroads Careers consisting of 65 churches in 14 states that provides networking forums that help job seekers find employment and other needed assistance.

The most impressive group I attend is C3G –Christ Centered Careers Group.
The men’s version meets on Monday morning at a local deli while the women’s group meets on Wednesdays. When I started attending in September about 25 men were present. Currently between 75-100 are in attendance. Most of the attendees are middle age men who have had good professional and managerial positions in finance, IT, real estate and other industries that have been hit hard by the recession. The key to C3G is that it provides a framework for men to help other men go through career transition with a strong support network. The format consists of a devotional, prayer, announcements from recruiters of possible job openings, a chance for new attendees to give their elevator speech and then a breakout into small groups where people can share their needs and offer support and ideas to others. Every week between 4-6 men announce that they have found employment mostly with the direct or indirect help of C3G.

At a time when the administration announces a new mega-billion program almost every day to stimulate the economy, C3G and groups like it are delivering results without any cost to the taxpayers. These results are getting attention from the media. A magazine from New York had a reporter attend a session, the local ABC Channel (WSB) had a camera crew film the group. (It is supposed to part of a program on job hunting on March 11 at 800 PM in Atlanta) and last week a crew from the CBS Evening News (Katy Couric) filmed the proceedings. When the CBS representative initially called she was told how the group of men were working together to help each other and seeking God's help in their job search. The CBS representative said she understood the importance of men helping each other, but she didn't get the part about including God in the process. Despite this comment the crew came anyway. Isn't it amazing that our government, the media and many of our fellow citizens are willing to spend tons of money and try almost anything to get our country back on track except turning to ultimate source of wisdom?

Wasn't That A Lovely Speech

Yesterday (February 27) I attended a meeting with a group of men who either own or work for small businesses. As soon as we sat down the conversation turned to President Obama's address to Congress and his proposed budget. Everyone expressed their amazement as to the audacity of the President's tax and spending plans. Everyone expressed concern not only for themselves but for the country because of what they viewed as bad policies and the future debt those policies would create. After everyone had their say one man said that after the President's address to Congress his mother-in-law called his wife and said "Wasn't that a lovely speech." Apparently she like a lot of people is still more focused on Obama's rhetoric than the implications of his policies.

Later that day I talked to a lady who can best be described as being among the working poor. She is a strong Obama supporter and apparently does not have access to a lot of news outlets. She asked me "When will I get my stimulus check and how much will it be?" I told her it is supposed to come on April 1 (an appropriate day for the Obama program) and that it would amount to about $6.50 a week extra for her. She was not impressed. She was even less impressed when I told her that the plan included about $8 billion for a railroad from Disney Land to Las Vegas. She seemed upset that her hero was letting her down and that the hoped for Stimulus Plan had the wrong priorities.

After just five weeks of the Obama Administration the country is sharply divided in two parts. One one side there are those who are caught in the President's "lovely speeches" and those counting on him to provide many benefits for them. On the other side there are those who fear for themselves and the country as Obama's goals become more clear. This is going to be a struggle of epic proportions that is going to take many twists and turns. This is no time to be on the sidelines.

Rick Santelli Is Invited To The White House

Rick Santelli, the CNBC reporter who we described in yesterday's blog, has just been invited to the White House to discuss the President's mortgage bailout policies. Santelli, who attacked those policies and had a crowd of traders cheer him during his broadcast, has become an overnight rock star. People are sending in emails advocating "Santelli For President-2012" and a "Chicago Tea Party." Meanwhile, some liberal journalists are attacking him for "being against the poor." The truth is that if Obama's policies are completely carried out we will all be poor.

The White House is obviously shaken by the response to Santelli's comments and has invited him for coffee. Santelli has responded that he will be glad to go and discuss the economy with the President, but he does plan to bring a tea bag rather than have coffee. You gotta love this guy. Go to the CNBC website to see what is happening.

One person can make a difference.

The Voice of Revolution

Today (February 19) there is a lot of coverage of a CNBC reporter Rick Santelli on a trading floor in Chicago emotionally describing what a bad plan President Obama has for bailing out those who have stopped paying for their subprime mortgages. As he is talking there is a spontaneous outburst of applause and support for his comments from the traders on the floor. As Santelli continues to criticize Obama's economic policies and compare them to Cuba's his CNBC colleagues are amazed by the positive response he is getting from the people on the floor. Finally, Santelli recommends that capitalists hold a new Boston Tea Party at Lake Michigan in Chicago this July in protest over what is happening.

During the time I lived in Chicago I visited the trading floors of a number of financial exchanges. I must admit I never viewed them as hotbeds of revolution. However, Mr. Santelli has hit a nerve (I wonder how long he keeps his job at CNBC?) and apparently he is expressing the thoughts of a lot of people. When Obama signed the "Stimulus" bill in Denver there were a many protesters outside dressed as pigs to protest the pork in the bill. When he spoke the next day at a high school in Arizona a number of students voiced their disapproval of his policies.

Who knows maybe we can all go to Chicago on July 4th and dump our 1040s into Lake Michigan?

Obama is Resembling a Republican President and it's not Abraham Lincoln

President Obama has made a big point of identifying with Abraham Lincoln and has frequently cited him as his model. However, after just two weeks in office President Obama and those around him resemble the administration of another Republican President--Warren G.Harding. Elected in 1920, Harding was a little known Senator from the mid-west who had a thin resume but who looked and sounded good. Instead of running on "Change" he ran on a platform of "a return to normalcy" which was very appealing after World War II. During Harding's time in office his administration had a number of scandals caused in great part by some of his corrupt cabinet officials and close friends. While Lincoln is regarded as one of our greatest, if not the greatest President, Harding is considered one of our worst.

Obama has claimed that his administration would have the highest ethical standards and not allow lobbyists to have access, but his appointments have undercut these promises. His first choice for Secretary of Commerce had to be dropped because of an investigation into possible corrupt actions on his part, the new Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geitner failed to pay taxes for four years, the choice for the Secretary of HHS, Tom Daschle, had to withdraw for failing to pay over $100,000 in taxes and the person who was going to be in charge of streamlining the government also withdrew because of not paying all her taxes. In addition, a number of other senior officials have backgrounds as lobbyists.

Apparently more issues will soon be surfacing about the type of people Obama is appointing. His choice for Secretary of Labor has conflict of interest problems and his choice to be the second highest official at the Department of Justice has been a strong defender of the pornography industry. Somehow I think Honest Abe would not approve.

Obama Vs. Rush

We are eight days into the Obama Administration and everyday seems to be an adventure into unchartered waters. It is clear that the new President wants to project a post partisan image in the press while satisfying the desires of the far left of his party. This is a dangerous game and cannot be go on forever since in life and politics you can't make everyone happy all the time. The most obvious example of this is Obama's effort to woo Republican members of Congress while attacking conservative icon Rush Limbaugh. Everyone after the inauguration was saying that they wanted the new President to succeed, but Rush said he did not want Obama to succeed if that meant that socialism would prevail in this country. These comments obviously got to Obama as he then told GOP leaders they should not spend all their time listening to Rush.

Obama's comments about Rush triggered a firestorm within the GOP and caused a few Republicsn leaders to distance themselves from the talkshow host. However, because of the strong reaction from grassroot conservatives these officials immediately "clarified" their remarks and at least one has appeared on Rush's show and apologized to him. It does appear that because of the stand of Rush and other conservative talkshow hosts the Republican members of Congress are showing some spine in opposing the outrageous elements of the stimulus package.

Meanwhile Rush, who is laughing all the way to bank, has actually offered a creative alternative to the current stimulus package. He points out that about 54% of the people voted for Obama and third party candidates last year and 46% voted for McCain. He recommends that Obama can spend 54% of the stimulus money on his programs and that 46% go for conservative programs such as a broad range of tax cuts for businesses and individuals. Rush believes that this will give people a chance to see which approach really works. Some may laugh at this idea, but the Wall Street Journal will feature an article by Rush in its January 29, 2009, edition describing his proposal. While Obama is currently riding high in the polls he may find that attacking El Rushbo could be his Waterloo.

Obama's Early Executive Orders--Inconsistent and Dangerous

President Obama's initial executive orders reflect a sharp move to the left and are a cause for major concern to those who are serious about national security and the sanctity of life. His order promising to close Guantanamo Bay within a year was designed to please the far left of his party, but it leaves a lot of questions. What will we do with the current inmates? Send them back to their native countries? Move them to a U.S. facility? Why should the U.S. military capture terrorists for interrogation purposes if no one knows where they will go and how they will be interrogated. A member of the military will be tempted to kill a terrorist rather than capture one for intelligence purposes if faced with the uncertainty that Obama's order creates. Of additional concern is that Obama has appointed a prominent member of the ACLU to be an attorney for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. This individual has spent the last few years attacking the interrogation methods used by the Bush Administration that have helped keep the country safe for the past seven years. Now he is partly responsible for changing those methods.

During his first week President Obama also signed an Executive Order lifting the ban on U.S. funding of overseas abortion counseling and actual abortions by non-governmental groups. This ban was put in place by Ronald Reagan, retained by President Bush (1), lifted by Bill Clinton and reinstated by George W. Bush. This action is another appeal to Obama's far left base. He has also placed a prominent member of the pro-Abortion NARAL organization in a senior position at the Justice Department.

In sum, despite calls for a bi-partisan spirit, the President is showing mercy and comfort to brutal terrorists while endorsing brutality for the most defenseless among us. This is not change we can believe in.

What are Bill and Hillary Thinking?

As I watched the inauguration of the 44th President I could not helped but think that the most unhappy people watching the event were not conservative Republicans, but instead that title goes to the Clintons. This was supposed to be their day when two million people were going to be on the Mall ushering in the beginning of Hillary's Presidency. This was going to be Bill's third term where he would find final vindication. Instead a junior Senator with a thin resume was receiving all the adulation from the crowd and the press.

Hillary will be Secretary of State, but even her confirmation hearings surfaced all of Bill's questionable dealings the last eight years that have made him a rich man because of his associations with a lot of questionable individuals throughout the world. To top it off there were reports that former President Jimmy Carter would not even shake hands with either of the Clintons during the festivities. While the Obama Administration will do a number of that many of us will not approve of, having Hillary as Secretary of State and Bill being close by will no doubt provide some entertaining moments in the next few years.

Early Impressions of The Inauguration

Watching the inauguration of our 44th President I have these initial thoughts.

Good: Rick Warren's invocation. Did not compromise his Christian faith despite attacks on him and push for political correctness from the media regarding Presidential prayers.

Kind of Funny: Both President Obama and Chief Justice Roberts flubbing their lines during the Oath of Office. I have watched every inauguration since Eisenhower and this is the first time I believe it has happened. Proves that very smart people can get stressed under high pressured situations.

Good: Parts of Obama's speech that recognized the importance of entrepreneurs and strong stand against terrorism.

Not So Good: Parts of speech talking about freeing up science (means lots of spending on embryonic stem cell research) and implication that our rights had been lost in the war on terrorism.

Very Good: Decency shown by President George W. Bush throughout the ceremony and the transition. Was a sharp contrast to how the outgoing Clinton Administration treated him in 2001.

Very Bad: Four percent drop in Dow Jones Industrial average. Not a strong endorsement for the expected economic policies of the new administration.

More to Come.

It's Deja Vu All Over Again

One of the best gifts I got for Christmas was the book "The Forgotten Man" by Amity Shlaes. This is the most informative, fairest and best written book I have ever read on the Great Depression and New Deal. If one wants to understand what is happening now and what will probably happen in the next few years it is important to have an appreciation of the 1920's and 1930's. The 1920's were a time of economic growth and expansion. They were also a time of Republican dominance in national politics. During this period liberal intellectuals and politicians, who were in the minority, were waiting for the economy to collapse so that they could take advantage of the situation in order to promote and install their policies.

That moment came with the stock market crash of October 1929 as the market tumbled and unemployment soared to as high as 30 percent. Ironically, the President, Herbert Hoover, was a "Compassionate Conservative, who was famous for his relief work in previous jobs. Hoover's response was to promote stimulus policies including a lot of public works projects. Hoover, however, unlike the current President, raised taxes and increased tariffs which helped make the depression a global disaster.

In 1932 Franklin Roosevelt and the Democrats won in a landslide. FDR, who came from a wealthy family, had been heavily influenced by liberal thinkers at Harvard and elsewhere. He had extraordinary communication skills and was able to connect with the average person. FDR made the federal government the dominant factor in the economy and enjoyed raising taxes on "the rich." Amity Shlaes book points out, however, that after all the government spending and great speeches the economy was still in a depressed state with high unemployment until the late 1930's and that it revived primarily because of the onset of World War II. She believes that had the market been allowed to deal with crash in a more normal manner, the economic downturn would have reversed itself in a relatively short time.

Primarily as a result of the September market meltdown Barack Obama and the Democrats will have total control of the federal government. They are promising a huge stimulus package that will probably mean that 25 percent of all spending will come from the federal government. This does not count state and local government spending. I hope I am wrong but I believe that we are in for time of great speeches and bad policies that will prolong our economic woes. Of course, the President-elect's followers in the media will tell us that Happy Days are Here Again.