Obama the Next

Obama is the president, starting 2009. How long will he be there? No one knows, yet people are starting to compare him to previous presidents. I find this comparison pointless to some degree. I rather him do his work and save the economy. But today, I read a different comparison, one that is touted a few times but not a popular leaning, Jimmy Carter. Well, I'm not sure of his era, but at least he hired Volcker and "fired" the useless politicians. Could be worse.

Anyway, ever since the crazy downward March to Dismember (December), I am staring at a recession, at least and I would like to tout it the Greater Depression. Well, being optimistic, of course, I think the chances of it happening is slim at best, unless Obama continues the lax to spend trend. If that happens, let just say, Armageddon is not far.

Well, what about being the next Next? Obama have to raise taxes more or less, so I think his promise to me and many others is not far from being impossible. Of course, he can still do it, but I wonder how much I will need to pay for other stuff. Hopefully not. I don't want to pay for the unemployment benefits of those who doesn't want to work. Frankly, I'm sick of hearing all the human rights arguments of free healthcare and what not. I believe the true things that should be free is transport. The motivation and need to get work done.

Healthcare is a necessity and a responsibility of everyone, not a right or previlege. Is the state not a collection of everyone? Poor countries can't afford free healthcare, so why should rich countries waste their money on it? Making it accessible to the needy is more important than making it free. Technology advance will take care of the price. Anyway, my take on why the medicare is not effective. Too much politics. How can one negotiate the price of a treatment? Doesn't that mean monopoly by the medicare agents? Doesn't that mean money is siphoned from the system to needless logistics?

If medicare is a free market, the technology has a price of its own, and the poor will be able to get some aid regardless of the price. Yes, the cheap types, but with medical advance, are you telling me the generics are dirt compare to the "supposed elixirs"? If generics are useless, then why are pharmeceuticals cutting throats to extend patents and shooting generic companies to increase profitability. Brand name is worth something, but not everything.

Anyway, the article raised a few good points about what the next president needs to do. Most of it needs to be like a strict father who lived through poverty and hardship, educating citizens to spend within their means and finally setting up a stable infrastructure that will prevent the gangsters of the economic world from succeeding. Hopefully also, he can do it and get re-elected. If he does the necessary, I'll stand as always have for a hero of times. That is, if he does. The article is critical of him, but I have a more optimistic view of his methods.

Then again, I'm pretty annoyed to have lost $200 today. All because of his speech. My shorts got killed despite all the bad economic data. A speech cannot change history in a single day. People still starve and remain jobless. Making money and jobs out of thin air will only destroy the already weak economy, further flushed by the weak currency. Frankly, I think the liquidity trap is in place, and we are going nowhere until that big crash comes. Everyone can inflate the system, but the amount of air, food and water are finite and so is economic expansion. But anyway, no matter how critical people are of Obama, I'll only judge him on his actions, not his political leanings.

Obama is chosen to make tough decisions, not easy and populist ones like keeping people in their homes for what they can't afford. In fact, I have posted before that housing should come down further. JPM and Bank of America had started some change to keep owners in their homes, so I don't see why Obama needs to worry to much about that. Afterall, let the banks decide which of their businesses will be good.

If you want to hit the restart button to end all problems, you need to make the hard choice of admiting defeat. Admit defeat that a perfectly working scientific system is ruined by corruption, selfishness, hypocrisy and wanton for power, which was credit and cash. In short, humanity itself ruined the perfect ecology of free market that it created.

No matter the game, changing the rules in the last minute just to win like the Fed, SEC and Treasury in the bailouts, the rate cuts and the short bans meant uptmost corruption and hypocrisy. Also, beggars don't get to choose, so why were the "Big" wheeny three get to choose their terms? Are they not begging now like AIG had? Where was Paulson when the problem started one year ago?

So Obama, no more halo effect. It does not work on me. I prefer Obama over McCain on ideas, but do the work you are chosen for. Be the President that will feed the sick patient called USA the bitter pill to cure the ills that plagued it. Don't play goody two shoes follow populist ideals which lead to nowhere. In the end, the cycle of evolution will weed out the bad leeches. People have to evolve with time. If not, we will all die like dinosaurs. I don't get to be ruled by many presidents and prime ministers, but I know a good one when I see one.