Over the last month or so, I have watched the greater majority of the American people become disillusioned by the rhetoric of President Obama & his so-called administration. The Obama façade & the “Hope & Change” slogan are slowly beginning to wear away, not only in our country, but internationally as well. As terrorists are released from prisons all around the world & as Guantanamo detainees’ countries of origin refuse to take them back, the American people are amazed at what they hear from the Commander-In-Chief. Obama & his administration neglect the military & thus the national defense of our country (by cutting the funding of our military by at least 10% as they send 17,000 new troops to Afghanistan) so that they can deal with the “real & important issues America faces today.” The Economic Crisis. And as the opposed masses remain silently reflective over the developments of this new found “Hope & Change”…our Nation doesn’t gain strength, economic stability, or prosperity for minorities or any of those that live in poverty. And for the millions of Americans who legally voted against the Slogan, these past weeks have been a clear & concise Obamanomics 101 as to why he didn’t receive their votes.

Sadly, many still believe that his administration’s policies will drastically improve their socio-economic state…For example, the other day while getting my nails done , I heard 15 different individuals make remarks about how now that there was a Black man in office that “could relate to us” they themselves would now be vindicated and become “rich.” I guess my Conservative beliefs have broadened my “minority” perspective and are direct causes of me viewing situations in a different light than those who are alike the people I’ve grown up with. As a result, I believe that the individual responsibility for one’s actions should be the mitigating factor, not an afterthought as to how you improve your own economic situations.

The belief that is currently running rampant through America’s communities makes it seem as though this man’s election will allow him to right all the injustices of every person of color and all will be joyous in our urban communities…As if our inner-city youth will suddenly be able to read, write, & compute at grade-level, violence in our streets will decline, teen pregnancy rates will drop drastically, & dead-beat fathers/mothers will suddenly be overcome by the desire to actually parent their own children.

There was a time—now in our past—when individuals strived to overcome the economic troubles they and their families faced. There was a time when being on Food Stamps & depending on Welfare checks had a stigma attached that Americans tried to avoid at all costs. An incentive, if you will, to improve themselves—a desire to get above the “reliance” and move past “just making it.” Nowadays, our society has so largely relied upon government programs that not only do we have a greater deficit in this country, unlike that which we’ve ever seen…but it seems we’re proud of this. Obama has projected a $3.4 Trillion deficit, the likes of which has definitely increased over his first 3 weeks in office & will continue to. And at his “Summit” yesterday, while discussing his budget projections, he’s vowed to cut this deficit in ½ by the end of his first term in office. And many are left to wonder if this will be yet another broken campaign-esque promise…

As an all-too-real example of the change in ways of thinking this country has undergone take a frightening study conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. This study, which began in early 1994 and was completed in May of 2007, showed numbers almost doubled in support across the board for what is deemed the New Age Social Safety Net.

In early ‘94, individuals were asked which of these statements they agreed with in large part…

“poor people today have it easy because they can get government benefits without doing anything”

 or

“poor people have hard lives because government benefits don’t go far enough to help them live decently”

They warranted reactions as follows:

53% of those surveyed said “they” (poor) had it easy vs. 39% who said “they” had it hard…

51% of those surveyed said “they” (poor) had it hard vs 35% who said “they” had it easy.

Among the racial groups within the study, “…Blacks held virtually the same highly sympathetic opinion throughout both surveys…”

In 1994, 65% stated they thought the poor had a difficult time/hard lives

In 2005, 64% stated the same.

Among Whites, there was a dramatic increase in support for this “Safety Net” …

The study found that in 1994, 35% of Whites thought the poor had difficult lives.

In 2005, 49% said the same.

This study speaks volumes for the society in which we now live where it has become an accepted and social normalcy for families to base their entire existence & the stability of their families on Government-funded programs.

While it used to suffice to say that the “victricat” mentality stemmed from the eradication of religion & tradition within the public scope of America, now not only do our most vulnerable citizens (the youth & young-adults of America) see government dependence as an acceptable way of life, but it’s being preached like it’s an actual ideology—practiced in the homes & public school systems from the parents & educators—and also from our Country’s leaders.

And as my “dis-advantaged minority” brain tries to process this new belief system, I find myself wondering how he will reward us? So as has been previously pointed out by many, when you receive your W-2 form for tax season (for those of you who are not yet employee’s of private-sector, government jobs & still pay your taxes) is there any box or bubble where you can specify your “Race”? I mean, how is it the new president & his administration is going to specifically give you the White Man’s Big Bucks? And each time I circle back to the same conclusion. They won’t. So, my fellow minorities don’t hold your breath.

So this short-term, quick-fix, one-size-fits-all, social-welfare-increasing stimulus that your beloved “1^st black-president” just signed into law regarding our catastrophic, irrecoverable-losses-if-we-don’t-act-now crisis (which he signed at his campaign’s convenience, which roughly 65% of Americans don’t agree with today) WILL ALSO NEGATIVELY AFFECT YOU! Regardless of your skin color.

I never thought I would see the day when the values & morals that our nation had for some 200 years, would become the antithesis of America’s reality. Everything we once knew as truth is backwards…we have now voted in to our highest office a man whose government policies now overrule the will of the people by taking from the responsible & those wishing to achieve and make something of themselves, and rewarding the irresponsible & undisciplined—some of whom are not even US citizens. At the expense of those who actually & legally have a right to be here.

People who have been laid off in recent months are now forming small groups (I guess sort of similar to a support group or AA) to discuss their issues & find more beneficial things to do with their time…You know, like find a job—I mean like TALK about being jobless! Wow, America! The recently unemployed are finding a “new joy” if you will, within the scope of their families & pets. As if the election of Obama & his passing of the “Stimulus” bill have shed new light upon family values & the importance of nurturing your responsibilities.

Obama campaigns almost daily about how he understands the plight of the poor & disadvantaged within our borders; because he’s lived it. Although maybe not quite to the extent of his brother who lives in the hut in Kenya…He says he’s the best representation of the People’s Voice. So what exactly are these voices saying? From the look & sound of things lately within many communities and the MSM, they’re saying something along the lines of “let’s stick it to the man!” So, where are the voices of those who voted against his radical policies represented? You know, the ones whose beliefs in a strong platform of National Security, Fiscal Responsibility, & a culture of life that doesn’t include state-sanctioned abortions & redefined definitions of traditional marriage…And in spite of his constant claim at bi-partisanship, their voices are not being represented by this man, because “…I won. I’ll trump you on that…”

The bottoming out of the stock-market & the housing foreclosure rate increase has equaled somewhere around $12 trillion in losses says a former economic advisor for the Reagan administration. Since the transfer of power between President Bush & President Obama, the stock-market has plummeted with small-businesses & market analysts growing increasingly nervous about Obama’s campaign promises of penalizing small business through tax increases & the nationalization of many private industries (hospitals, banks, etc.). And honestly, none of these declines in the economy should be surprising at this point—prosperity remains linked with political & economic freedoms…those which now seem largely lost to our so-called leadership.

And for many within everyday America (those Dems claim to be for…), questioning whether or not fiscal stimulus actually stimulates any nation’s economy doesn’t even come to mind. The masses just expect that the individual’s in the government who can’t keep their own finances straight have all the “right” answers.

Let’s take a look at Japan for examples of government spending at its most “stimulative.” Since 1991, the government of Japan has enacted 10 separate government spending fiscal stimulus plans, totaling an excess of $254 billion (a mere fraction of what Obama has now signed into law) into their economy. The majority of which were infrastructure projects…Over the last 10+ years, they have seen a whopping Average Annual Growth Rate of 1% vs. a 3.8% in the US. So after repeatedly implementing large doses, if you will, of fiscal stimulus all the while maintaining a “strict monetary policy” for over a decade, the Japanese economy has been stagnate at best.

So, we can conclude from an actual life-size implementation of this “process & solution” that Fiscal Stimulus a.k.a. Extra Government Spending does not jumpstart the economy…ANY economy, not even America’s. Now, let’s ask what is it that DOES make an economy function not only properly, but also prosperously? The answer (as proven by history) - strong property rights, political freedoms, civil liberties, freedom of the press, and government expenditures. There are 4 negative factors that influence the prosperity & eventual decline of an economy as well & they are: excessive regulation, poor monetary policy, the black market system, and trade barriers (i.e. American-only mandate by government eventually leading to a Trade War). So 3 of 4 we are now facing as very, very real possibilities and many still have yet to hear the Bells of Reason…hmm.

Sure, as with any developing nation, there will be ups & downs—which I personally believe happen as a sort of way to check-&-balance our system—but this nation has prospered, flourished, and opened doors for countless numbers of people in our world today, time and time again. But the taxes required to support this “habit of dependence” will inhibit growth in America and actually increase the barriers of socio-economic advancement…in other words, it itself creates a perverse incentive to be unproductive & poor…so much for slashing the class warfare and racial barriers in a “country of cowards!”

All in all, there are 2 frames of mind in America today—that of the Capitalist society (mainly made up of small-businesses & those they employ, Wallstreet being a mere fraction of the equation, etc.) which understands that there will always be ups & downs, who rely on self-responsibility to sustain and improve their families’ lives, and there is the  Socialist society (made up of our inner-city so-called communities, inner-city public school system, and many factions of America’s youth & their educators) who will wait around until Uncle Sam can fix their economic situation for them. These policies do nothing to better America’s prosperity, they only prolong a slow bleed of our economic system & increase our addiction to government handouts.

My question is…which will you be a part of?

And if revenge on the government & the foundation of America is what you are truly after—if it really is everyone else’s fault for your own economic circumstances—I encourage you to pack up your 46” Plasma television & take your “used” Escalade & drive south, across the Mexican border. They’ll love you down there and who knows, perhaps their government will be willing to “support your habits.” Buena Suerte!

An Angry & Legal American,

LaGoldEyez!

“Frustrated that some are "finally" proud of their country...Funny how I always have been!”

From: Understanding

No disrespect but even with the accomplishments of people of color over the years ... a country that promoted slavery, segregation and the legalized domestic terrorism of Jim Crow Laws didn't exactly give some of us reason 2 be proud. It was a mere generation ago that the government sanctioned blacks, whites, Jews and anyone else who stood up 4 what was right having dogs attack them and being water hosed.

Even in the midst of the American people speaking up and putting Obama in the White House I'm sure u're aware that the ugliness of racism and even classism still exists. Nevertheless ... God Bless America.

My Response:

Dear "Understanding",

While I respect your viewpoint of this current political situation (and my Status Message), and can definitely appreciate the significance of electing Barack Obama as the first Bi-Racial man to be the 44^th President, I am torn—as I have been this past week, at some of the snide remarks citizens of this country have made.

Believe me, watching Fox News declare Obama the President-Elect was a moment of elation for ANYONE who does not come from the “White Aristocratic” people that have, in the past, governed our great (and ever-evolving) nation.

Did I wish that all of those citizens of the past that were oppressed and denied their rights due to the color of their skin could see this great moment and rejoice in it as so many of their ancestors did?

I absolutely did.

But did it take electing a man that does not fit the common gov’t demographic for me to feel proud of this country and the opportunities it allows so many?

It absolutely did not.

I am a 1^st generation Immigrant to this country. My parents both came from Warring, military dictatorships that preached “democracy” but lived corruption, segregation, and class warfare…And having family in those countries still, I do have a great understanding of these things.

I am not rich. I am not white. I am not from a family that was well-off. But I was raised in an environment, by my father, that instilled values of hard-work and perseverance of one’s dreams…That is what has gotten me as far as it has. That is what makes me question motives of Obama and some of his political counter-parts…And I, as a legal American citizen, have every right to do so. Just as you are entitled to your opinion…

Am I aware that racism still exists in America today? Yes. As I am aware that Jim Crow Laws are no longer a legal part of our society today.

Attending a predominately “White, upper-class” high school, I am well aware that the social norms for people who are of color (whichever color that may be) are much different from those who are not.

I know exactly what it’s like to be the one who didn’t fit within one demographic or the other.

I know exactly what it’s like to not have someone that resembled me and my people within the body of those that govern our country.

As I know what it’s like to have people within our society today, “write you off” because of the color of your skin, at whatever the task you are trying to accomplish is.

I was always too dark to be white with a funny accent (which I was unaware I had until someone else pointed it out) and Too light to be “Brown” in the eyes of some of my own family members and people within our “Hispanic” community.

So because of that, I was challenged to build myself as a person based on my beliefs and interests. The values that my father instilled in me…

And it pains me to see that so great a portion of our “minority societies” seem to have lost sight of that.

And you are correct in that a large portion of America stood up and elected Obama as our Nation’s Leader…and hopefully it was because his value system reflected theirs.

Would I have been ecstatic to have someone that comes from a Cultural background similar to mine and the people I grew up with, representing us in the White House? Absolutely…I just wish that I could say his values were more reflecting of my own and what values my people stand for.

And I wish that rather than say “I am ‘for the 1^st time proud of my country’” for electing a “Black man” someone would say, “Wow! He reflects exactly what our people desire in this nation.” And that the voice of the people will finally be heard from one end of the country to the other. But they don’t. And that, Understanding, is where we part ways.

Do I respect President-Elect Obama for all that he has accomplished thus far? Absolutely…As I will be loyal to my nation, our Constitution, and our founding ideals—regardless of who occupies the Oval Office and how different our opinions may be.

LaGoldEyez!

NUMB. That is the best word to describe the way that I feel right now.

I am not shocked at all that Barack Obama is now our President-Elect.

Yet and still, to hear Fox News call the election for Obama at 8pm PST, to know that a Black (or should I say Biracial) man WILL be the 44th President, to see a Black woman as First Lady, was just surreal…

It is a moment that many did not live to see, and many others never believed that they would.

For that brief moment, I did not think about the fact I don't agree with ANY aspect of President-elect Obama's platform.

For that brief moment, I was quite elated…wishing that all of our citizens, who’s ancestors were oppressed, reviled and denied their rights due to the color of their skin, who lived thru segregation & all its horrors, could see this moment and rejoice in it as well.

Does this change how I feel about my country? Absolutely not.

I love and am proud of the United States of America, and it did not take her electing Obama for me to feel that way...for MANY OF US TO FEEL THAT WAY.

For those who say that they are "now" finally proud of America—I find myself torn. Almost as if you are not deserving of the bounty and rights that she bestowed on you to BEGIN with...

We should always be loyal to our nation, our Constitution and our ideals—no matter who occupies the Oval Office.

And for now, I will try to relax.

As I wait for President-elect Obama to be sworn in, I hope against hope that those in my own party are wrong.

I hope that he does NOT bring radical change to our nation; I hope that he keeps us secure at home as President Bush has (which, despite your unequivocal hatred of the man, NO ONE can argue with), and I hope that he governs as the moderate/centrist that the MSM claims that he is… I hope he does NOT choose to un-do everything my husband and others like him have fought for.

For if he does, then MAYBE, just maybe, the next four years won't be that bad.

It’s ironic that the true Conservatives are the ones who meandered thru this election as best we could with that 4-letter word…Hope.

Hope that Radical Change would not prevail and destroy the very fabric of our great nation and the ideals which it was built upon.