Obama's first year: What didn't work

While it’s true that as we look backwards towards inauguration day 2009 we have seen neither rivers turn to blood, nor plagues of locusts descend upon our land, what we have seen has been troubling nevertheless.

We’ve seen an administration determined to have suspected terrorist/enemy combatants – not American citizens, not criminals, not prisoners of war, but terrorists – tried in civilian courts. The foolhardy and reckless notion that these individuals should be entitled to the rights and privileges afforded by the very system which they are bent on destroying defies credibility.

The first year of this administration has seen an unprecedented intrusion into the private sector. Obama, picking up where Bush left off, continued the government’s seizure of our financial system and opened whole new fronts by taking over the auto industry and by his assault on our healthcare system. And then there was cap and trade. In his Quixotic attack upon global warning…oops, I mean climate change (did anyone else notice that sleight of hand?) he cunningly found a way to exert defacto control of the energy industry.

With the federal government now exercising an alarming degree of control and influence over multiple sectors, at what point do his policies more resemble those of central planning and less those of a market based economy? Put simply, how much of the economy must be seized before even his most ardent defenders admit that he bears some distinct shade of socialism?

Despite campaigning on a platform of openness, his was to be the most transparent administration ever, most of us have seen nothing but the back of closed doors – doors closed to conservatives, moderates, Republicans and even many Democrats who don’t share Obama’s far left agenda. It’s been an administration of 1,000+ page bills crafted in secret followed by rushed votes without the opportunity of either party to review and digest the legislation.

We’ve seen even more liberal elitism – perhaps now best described as “Obama knows best”. After the Virginia, New Jersey and Massachusetts debacles, most would have recognized the need for a little humility, a little introspection. Instead, the president declared his intent to double down and vowed to make us understand. Oh, the words were polite enough, but the message was clear – if only we were a little more educated, a little more evolved, we’d embrace his plan for our lives.

As for the economy, we have seen persistent double digit employment, a multi-billion dollar stimulus package that has been economically impotent at best, deficits that defy comprehension, and a complete lack of fiscal responsibility.

Obama and his fellow liberals are under the mistaken belief its government that makes our country great, when in fact it’s we the people that make this a great nation.

Obama did less damage than many of us feared. With the political landscape likely to be far less favorable in the near term, there is hope we might yet avoid the frogs, locusts and all their friends.

(Pete Whaley is an attorney in Williamstown and is a member of the Grant County Republican Party.)