Obama to serve one term only

Of course I don't know that Obama will serve only one term. Nobody knows that for sure now (with the possible exception of Nate Silver), but I can't help but feel that the rudder has come off Obama's presidency. Just as the United States really needed its president to make the trip up to Capitol Hill and straigthen out the House, he did the opposite: he buckled and now appears weak and unprincipled. The dire situation that has developed over the past weeks is rather extraordinary - and extraordinary measures to address this would have been appropriate.

The republicans clearly do not care about the people they represent. The republicans clearly do not represent fiscal responsibility. The republicans represent the top percent or so - the wealthy, the financially independent, those for whom the financial crisis was merely a temporary setback, not even noticeably affecting their life.

Allowing the tax cuts for the rich expire would not have hurt the rich in any way that would even be noticable to them. Moreover, we need not theorize about any trickle-down effects: we know for a fact that there is no such thing as a trickle-down effect. In fact: we know with absolute certainty that it has the opposite effect. It has been tried before and the data is in. We count this as scientific fact.

This can mean only two things: either the representatives are exceptionally incompetent or they simply do not care about 99% of the population.

With the middle class gone, the "American Dream" is dead.

Some economists have come up with a good metric for illustrating financial viability, or lack thereof: how many people can come up with $2000 if they are given 30 days to pony up the money. By saving, borrowing, selling possessions etc. Less than 50% of the United States population are capable of coming up with $2000 in 30 days. This means that over 50% of the population is one small misfortune away from insolvency and financial ruin at any given time.

And for the people in question, not even the tax cut can make up $2000 over a whole year, let alone 30 days.

It is sad that Obama and the democrats are so easily manipulated by the republicans. By extending the tax cuts for another 2 years there is now a big hole in the budget. A big hole in the budget that has to be filled by increasing the United States dependency on foreign countries. Countries like China and middle-eastern oil nations. These are the countries whose good will the US will now become more dependent upon.

Those tax cuts will not go away either. They will expire around the time of the next presidential election at which point they will be part of the presidential debate. And by now we know the score: the uneducated masses will reach for their $1500 in tax cuts, vote for whomever promises to get it for them, and sink the country into more debt.

You can't really do anything with $1500. If you slip and break something it won't even cover a significant part of your hospital bill.

It is even sadder that unemployment benefits for the victims of the financial crisis have only been extended for about 13 months. Though not all of them. These benefits only cover those that have been unemployed for less than 100 weeks. For those who have been unemployed for longer there is nothing. Nada. Zero.

The Obama administration has caved. It has caved to the republicans, it is actively rewarding those who were already doing fine and those who created the financial crisis -- while it has done little or nothing for those, due to no fault of their own, fell victim to the financial crisis.

Shame on you, Obama. Shame on you, Biden. Shame on you Pelosi. People were counting on you and you let them down.

But most of all: shame on the american voter who is demonstrably too stupid to take care of him- or herself. Shame on the american voter for not putting country first and for being too uneducated, too easy to lead, too eager to get distracted by straw-men to make sure the nation's affairs are put in order. Shame on the american voter for steering the country towards insolvency and absolute dependence on nations that represent values opposite of those values you like to think you represent.

As for the republicans in the House, I don't think they are capable of feeling shame for wanting to sacrifice the independence and future of the nation at the cost of enriching the top 1% wealthiest which they represent; and only the top 1%.