President Obama may best be known as the president who took kicking the can down the road to new, unimagined levels. Obama has demonstrated an unusual ability to delay decision-making, to obfuscate issues, to divert attention from matters of critical importance, and his preference to take half measures when pushed to the brink is now well known. Obama is the Grand Master of Kicking the Can Down the Road.
But in 2012 that seems likely to change—the can is going to kick back.
The problems besetting our nation can only be ignored and obfuscated for so long—and the past three years of the Obama Administration shows that things have gone about as far as they can go.
Here are some likely can kicking back scenarios.- Young adults and college-aged students get angry. Bad as matters may be for taxpayers, small businesses and minorities under the Obama Administration, matters are far worse for young adults who have the highest unemployment rates, both short-term and sustained, and little hope, in the short-term of improvement. College student loan rates have reached legendary highs and with parents who are also either unemployed, overextended credit-wise and facing diminished retirement savings, these young adults are facing a tsunami of debt in the upcoming years. Soon, these young adults are going to wake up to the realization that the added $4 trillion dollars in indebtedness, courtesy of the Obama Administration, must be paid back by their generation. Team Obama has falsely promised an ever-expanding set of entitlements that the country can’t afford and the young are left with the bill. The young adult population, which almost overwhelmingly voted for Obama in the last election, are going to wake up to the unhappy realization that Obama’s promise of “hope and change” is really just host and chains—a 21st century version of parasitic slavery—with young Americans enslaved by debt. That can will kick back fiercely and the inter-generational animosity, aware of Obama’s unfair wealth redistribution plan that forces the next generation (and most likely the one after that too) to pay the costs of this generations fecklessness--will be fierce.
- The economy does not recover. Small business owners and entrepreneurs who have been the brunt of many of Obama’s attacks, through excessive regulation and increased fees and taxes, are not able to ignite the American job machine as they have in the past. Small businesses account for 3 out of every 4 jobs created in the United States, but Obama persists in demonizing these work-horses of the American economy. Obama’s attempts to incite class warfare (and other examples such as Harry Reid’s determination to ignore the contributions of business owners in this country) may cause this “can” to kick back. Already, the reports are in that show that during 2011 there were less IPOs than in the past 10 years. IPOs, while not the sole indicator of success, are an indicator of the state of small businesses and entrepreneurship in this country since IPOs are one of the ways that businesses obtain access to capital, measure growth and financing for long-term enterprise expansions. Even in the federal market, small businesses are being hit hard as surveys show that in 2011, there were far fewer, first-time, entries into the government contracting arena and that far fewer small businesses provided first-time goods and services to the federal government.
- The can could also kick back over Obama Administration scandals—of which there is a large menu—but where “Fast and Furious” and “green contracting” endeavors such as the bankrupted Solyndra top the list. Americans should expect that these are just the tip of the iceberg of bad Obama Administration policies in action. And, Americans should also expect that the oversight from congressional committees such as the House Oversight committee led of Chairman Darryl Issa will be fair, measured and balanced but will undoubtedly uncover even more egregious excesses from the Obama Administration’s partisan politicking and crony capitalism.
A new EPA leader will be required. Americans for three years have watched an assault on job creation and economic growth in a quixotic effort to achieve dubious environmental goals. Yet somehow, Obama has not been held accountable for the many weird decisions (attempts to kill of coal fired power plants, regulatory maze to prevent the exploration of oil and gas are just two). Our nation needs a coherent energy plan that allows for safe production of oil, gas, coal, and nuclear power as well. The biggest impediment to developing such a plan is the EPA’s extremist environmental views that now intrude on every aspect of American lives and has been given expanded powers to regulate our every breath of air. The path we are now on is just plain crazy.
Lastly, 2012 should see the can—finally--kicking back on Obama’s tendency to define as “racist” any voiced disapproval to his ill-thought, ill-executed policies. The United States is a nation that has elected its first minority president, a nation that provides more supplemental assistance to minorities than any other country in the world, and should not be labeled “racist” by the very man benefitting from the open-mindedness of the American people.
Obama needs to understand that it is not the “color of his skin” that causes problems with the American people, but, rather, the “content of his character”, that leads him to disrespect the first principles that have made this the greatest nation on this earth, that causes the push-back from many Americans.
No other President in American history has been so determined to avoid pressing issues, to delay until tomorrow the unpleasant, and heap the costs and bills to be paid on the next generation--all because Obama is not able to summon the leadership required.
Obama has taken can kicking to “unprecedented” levels during the past three years. You’d think, by now, his foot would be tired.
But, watch out Obama—2012 is the year when the can kicks back.
Lurita Doan
Lurita Alexis Doan is an African American conservative commentator who writes about issues affecting the federal government.
Lurita has been involved in the business community through participation in many trade associations, membership in business organizations including the Young Entrepreneurs' Organization (now Entrepreneurs' Organization) and Young Presidents' Organization, and involvement on charitable community activities.
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