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Barack Obama was elected as US President on November 4, 2008.  He was inaugurated on January 20, 2009.  For many people, that is a day that few will forget.  For many it’s as significant as the day that Reagan was shot, the day that the space shuttle Challenger exploded, the day we invaded Iraq and the day Saddam Hussein was captured.

For me, I keep thinking of the dates November 6, 2012 and January 20, 2013.  I hope that those dates will be equally as significant for me.  Why do I think of those dates?  November 6th is the date of the next presidential election and January 20th is the date that the next president will be inaugurated.  As a Libertarian/Conservative, I’m in political exile right now.  I don’t even know who will be running in the next election, but I hope for nearly anyone other than BO.  Would I like Hillary in the seat of President?  No, but she couldn’t do as much damage as BO. 

On January 25, 2010 Diane Sawyer’s interview with BO aired.  Here is a quote from BO:

You know, I — I would say that when I — the one thing I’m clear about is that I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president. And I — and I believe that.

I would tend to agree with BO.  I’d rather see him be a good one-term president too.  Hell, I’d just be happy if he were a good president.  Here are some of the items he has done that have rubbed me wrong:

  1.  Healthcare reform.  It seems more like dismantling what is existing and putting the rest of it under his own thumb .more power, more pork, more government.
  2. Cap and Trade.  Push the oil jobs out of the US; raise the price of electricity by forcing them off of coal burning.  We are experiencing a large electricity price increase already in Colorado because of this.  Two of my neighbors working in the oil/gas industry have moved to Canada to keep their jobs.
  3. Employee Free Choice Act Union garbage (IMO of course).  This takes away the anonymous vote on whether to unionize or not.  No pressure from the unions.
  4. Auto maker bailout.  I should say government buy out of the auto makers.  After the last year I will buy a Ford as my next vehicle just because they were sustainable on their own.
  5. FSA changes.  January 2011 over the counter (OTC) meds will no longer be able to be claimed on your FSA/HSA if you have one.  This will now be for prescription drugs only.
  6. Tax increases.  No one making under $200,000/year will not pay a dime more in Federal Taxes. According to the Joint Committee on Taxation (part of Congress), that is a lie.
    • Breath Tax –  If you breath you MUST have medical insurance
    • Tax on Medical Devices Medical devices will become a tax windfall for Obama’s money vats creating an additional $20 Billion in tax revenue.
    • Brand name drugs prices will go up on these due to a new tax on non-generic drugs.  You thought those ADHD meds were expensive before, just wait.
    • Tax bases The tax base for EVERY income range will increase at least 3%. (10% goes to 15%, 25% to 28%, 28% to 31%, 33% to 36% and 35% to 39.6%).
    • The marriage penalty tax is coming back.  A married couple making $75,000 will pay more in taxes than a single person making $75,000.
    • Capital Gains taxes increase from 15% to 20% and Dividends will increase from 15% to 39.6%.
    • Education The deduction for tuition and fees is being eliminated.  Student loan interest is also not going to be deductible.
  7. Love for the Unions.  On August 4, 2010 Obama thanked all my brothers and sisters in the AFL-CIO who have worked so hard to help get America’s economy back on track. (http://bit.ly/9PKmv1)  I understand American Pride and Made In the USA.  I don’t understand the need for unions though.  They have truly outlasted their usefulness and only do two things:  1. Increase the cost of producing items by inflating wages to the point of being ridiculous and 2. Encouraging mediocrity. That is what happens when every single worker gets the same pay raise regardless of performance. I prefer to stand on my own feet and let my work product determine what kind of pay increase I will receive.
  8. Amnesty for illegal immigrants.  Maybe it’s the cold-hearted police officer in me, but how can we simply let 11-18 MILLION people that are here ILLEGALLY stay?  I was raised to obey the laws and not intentionally break them.  If I broke the laws or the rules I would pay the price.  There was not a simple, That’s ok Squeaky, let’s reward you for hitting your sister by giving you ice cream.  That is exactly what we’re preparing to do with the talk of amnesty.  The difference is that the ice cream will become free health care, college tuition, unemployment, etc.  I work with several people that moved here from India.  They have invested a great deal of time and money to become LEGAL citizens.  L-E-G-A-L.  I’m very proud of them for that and I’m happy to call them my friends.  Those that are illegal have no sympathy from me.

I could go on forever, but my soap box isn’t that comfortable.  For now, I keep hoping and praying that Obama will make some non-liberal decisions; but I’m not holding my breath.  I don’t know Obama so I can’t say that he is a good man or a bad man.  The only thing I have to judge him on are his political ideals.  He and I are polar opposites in that regard and for that reason I will probably never appreciate his work.  Like some of you, I’ll keep waiting for change on January 20, 2013.  For others, you will be hoping for a successful reelection bid for Obama.  Regardless, on November 6, 2012 I’ll be clinging to my religion, my family and my guns.  On that day I will vote my conservative, Christian, family values and that will NOT include a vote for Obama.

Squeaky

Image source: http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2010/05/25/voted-obama-embarrassed-yet-street-signs/

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Squeaky is a member of The Political Observers, a sub-group of our writers who are devoted to topics that are political in nature. Squeaky provides a conservative viewpoint in his articles.

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