OPINION: Pres. Obama's First Days

OPINIONS ON PRESDIENT OBAMA'S FIRST DAYS

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Change we can believe in? Change we should dread!

(Reprinted from January 29^th issue of the Forum)

By Elliott Sellars

Here's how I see it. . . .

Amidst the clamor and celebration surrounding the inauguration of Barack Obama stands a question mark. That question mark can be placed at the end of numerous sentences. Who is Barack Obama? What exactly was he promising while running for office? Will he promote bipartisanship? Will his proposed economic plan be effective? Was the closing of Guantanamo Bay the right thing to do? Can he handle a sensitive military situation? And, perhaps most importantly, will the new President's policies transform the foundation of the country? After only a few days in office, the preceding question was answered with a resounding YES, but will the "change" promised by Barack Obama be a change for better, or worse?

As I walked the Lander University campus last week, I encountered many students who voted for Barack Obama. When I asked these students why they chose to cast their ballot for him, I felt like I was listening to a tape recorder. I heard regurgitated catch phrases from the endless Obama commercials that flooded the country during the campaign. "I believe he is someone who will bring much needed change to America." one student explained. Another stated, "He is such and inspirational speaker. He is the perfect man for the job." I asked at least 20 students the same question, and none of the answers varied much from the previous two. Not once did I hear someone explain how they felt about Obama's political ideals, or his record as a politician. Why is this? The reason is simple. The media, Hollywood, and liberals have elevated the 44th President to superstar status. Many voters saw an articulate, good looking, black man, and voted for him blindly.

To find a giant red flag, all one needs to do is examine a promise that Obama repeatedly made during his campaign. "I will cut taxes for 95% of working Americans." Obama promised time and again. There is a problem with these numbers. Over 30% of working Americans have ZERO tax liability. How do you cut taxes for someone who does not pay taxes at all? That question was never posed to Obama by the supposedly unbiased moderators who ran multiple televised debates. John McCain never asked the question either.

How does the President plan to go about implementing this magic tax cut?  He plans on sending everyone with ZERO tax liability a $500 check on April 15, EVERY YEAR! This is not like the stimulus check issued by the Bush administration, which was a one time thing. Where will the money come from? That's right. From American workers who actually pay taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, 63 million Americans will receive one of these magical checks after factoring in other proposed Obama tax credits. The Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis predicts that by 2011, 10 million more citizens will be added to the number receiving this payment. Within roughly 10 years, this giveaway will cost the country over 1 trillion dollars annually. That is four times what "paying" tax payers spend on welfare a year. Doesn't sound like a smooth plan to fix the economy, does it?