OBAMA.............................................

What did you expect?

But maybe surprising for some of you...is the fact that I agree with him.

Before I get into that, bear with me while I ramble a bit.

From my overall perspective President Obama has been a disaster as President and although I could not vote for the man even if I was an American, after all I am a Libertarian, I was delighted to see him elected given his status as the first Black President of the United States of America.

I was soon to be disappointed in him, mainly because his Administration has spent trillion of dollars on credit - a credit which is wearing thin.

In addition, I do not warm to his We vs. Them philosophy - the We being the so-called downtrodden, welfare recipient and Trade Union Classes all backed by the Left.

Them are the Capitalists, the business community and the hard working centre who are family oriented, pay their taxes and their debts and obey the laws.

Obama was raised and worked in the We Community so it is not so surprising that he identifies with it.

In that regard, what really gets me is where exactly do Politicians like Obama think the money for their expansive governments come from if it is not from the Private Free Enterprise System? But even this System cannot keep up with Administrations' determined to outspend to the tune of Trillions of $ when their Treasuries are broke to begin with.

So you thought I said I agreed with Obama?

I do, insofar-as his decision on Libya is concerned.

This in spite of the great scorn he is now receiving around the world and in his own country where he is depicted as week-kneed, heartless, indecisive etc etc. for letting the innocents in Libya suffer at the hands of their Madman President. And this surprises me.

Did I mention to you that the US is broke - busted in fact with their currency in danger of going Peso. To be fair, this is not all Obama's fault. Republican Bush over his 8 year tenure too allowed their debt to climb to unrealistic levels.

But the fact remains that America is broke.

And as such, it can no longer fill the role as the World's Policeman - it is time for others to step up to the Plate and that is just what happened in the case of the Libyan Rebellion. France and then the UK took the lead in demanding action against the Crazed Dictator. And it's about time.

But permit me to digress again for a moment. Have you ever noticed that when the US does take some form of unilateral action, the chattering masses of the world denounce them in the vilest terms possible. And when the US sits back, stung from all of this criticism, these self same masses once again vilify America for not getting involved - for being indifferent to the plight of those less fortunate. Bottom line - the US simply cannot win.

In the face of this though the United States has on balanced persevered and has tried to do what is right despite the Arm Chair Critics to the contrary.

But what has changed in the last decade or so is that the balance of economic power is shifting away from the States. China as we all know is now its biggest creditor. National, State and Municipal governments are running huge deficits - and something has to give.

And it has started - as we know in places like Wisconsin, Union Powers are being constrained, in Michigan there large public layoffs - 25% and more and California has been reduced to issuing IOUs to its suppliers. The list goes on.

The National Government of the United States spends nearly 50% of its annual budget on Defence - this simply cannot continue. Cuts will soon have to be made or the States will descend again into a major Recession and more likely into a Depression.

So back to Libya. I don't know if Obama had this in mind when dealing with the Libyan Crisis. If he didn't he should have - and either way I fully support the man.

The day is ending when the US can be all things to all people - it is time for Europe - for South East Asia and others to step up and be counted.

That is not to say the day is over for America - but it is to say the day of them going it alone is rapidly coming to an end and we had better all get used to it.

As I see it...

'Galagher'

Our Hearts and Prayers are with the brave peoples of Japan

Their Monster Quake has been upgraded to 9.0 and the devastation it has caused is truly of biblical proportions.

That these proud peoples will bounce back is without question, as they have in the past, most recently after the close of WW II.

I can well remember when imports from Japan in those postwar years were mocked for their poor quality - just as I hear today it said about Chinese imports - but that did not last long. Indeed, before long, Japan was challenging and surpassing our very best in the categories of price and quality.

Japan and our second major enemy of that War are now economic powerhouses of the world. Japan stands number 3 and Germany is the lynch pin of a United Europe. Without both countries at our side, the dangers posed by both China and Russia would be so much more threatening.

A couple of years ago we had a Japanese student live with us for a few weeks. She was part of a high school group for which their curriculum required them to live with a family in a foreign country.

We of course got to know this young lady as well as the rest of kids with her from her Japan and found them to be just like our children when they were teenagers. Full of life, full of fun and always on the go.

That said, they had not yet graduated to body piercing, tattoos and strangely coloured hair. Hopefully they never will - but I digress.

I think of those kids when I see the accounts of what is now taking place so far away. I know full well that their spirit and enthusiasm for life will carry them through and along with them their country.

We here in Canada are so very fortunate that these types of disasters are rare occurrences and we need to thank God that this is so.

In the meantime we also need to do what we can to help those unfortunate folks. A great way would be by donating to the Red Cross.

As I see it...

'Galagher'