Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The President's Speech Last Night - Highs and Lows

Well, everyone has an opinion about our newest President it seems. Everyone also seems to have an opinion about the current economic situation too. The facts regarding either can be fairly unclear considering most every "NEWS" channel or "NEWS" report is chuck full of opinions and comments. Sometimes I wonder how much more qualified the "Hosts" and "Reporters" are than anyone one of us to be on the television. Does anyone else feel a bit dismayed at what is being said and by whom?

Well, I watched most of the speech last night and can say that I AM PROUD of MY COUNTRY! Though I do not agree with everything the President said or wants to do and did not vote for him, I think he did very well.

What I liked from his speech is that he gave me a few bits of "Assurance" that the United States of America can and will come out of this and any other hard time even strong than before. He also said that he was going to hold folks accountable inside both government and the private sector. Lack of accountability or a relative few is what started our recent economic tumble in my opinion which has in many cases created hardships for those who have been responsible as well as accountable. I also liked that he referenced times in our past where government did positive things by spending money during hard times that did result in sustainable advantages for the country. Two examples I remember are the transcontinental railroad and the system of high schools around the country. Sometimes people like me who do not like even saying the words "Bigger Government" forget about some of the focused projects that led to very good things.

What I did not like was that I don't believe that his friends or foes in government will be held accountable for anything. The voters have not held them accountable as proven by the huge percentage of incumbents continuously being re-elected. So, it is difficult to believe that he will. As for the private sector, it seems they are very cozy with the elected and appointed officials tasked with holding them accountable. Tough to see how this type of situation could result in anything other than rampant self enrichment and the ethical low road we've seen to be the norm on Wall Street as well as in the Board Room. Call it the "Old Boys Network" or "Cronyism" or whatever you like, but it seems the result is CEO's and board members don't need to perform to be paid which makes losers out of shareholders and employees. Lastly, I do not like generalizations of people such as the one heard all the time, "All the people who bought homes they knew they couldn't afford". I feel that there are so many different personnal situations in the real world that exist.

All the rest, we will see how things go! Stay positive out there! It will get better for us all soon! Take that to the bank!

No comments: