Latest Obama foreign policy gaffe

British P.M. Gordon Brown shouldn't feel so bad receiving DVDs from President Obama which, by the way, don't play in the U.K. thanks to anti-piracy measures. He should be glad he's not in French President Nicolas Sarkozy's shoes.

What describes President Obama better? Rookie president of the year? The political virgin? Barack "On no!" Obama?

I'm proud to be American, but right now our President's embarrassing me a little bit...

Pelosi the real un-American

Enforcing existing immigration laws is un-American? That's what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told a group of both legal and illegal immigrants and their families:

"Who in this country would not want to change a policy of kicking in doors in the middle of the night and sending a parent away from their families? It must be stopped....What value system is that? I think it's un-American. I think it's un-American."

She's a career politician who's risen to the top as the historic first female House Speaker. She ought to know that being American means living within the rule of law on American soil. For those legal immigrants she spoke to, what will they think? Legal immigrants have to fight through the bureaucracy, paperwork, fees, and wait years just to become a U.S. citizen. Nobody enjoys that process, but it's the path that must be taken if you truly want to be eligible to carry a U.S. passport and participate in America's elections.

Illegal immigrants are un-Americans. Does Pelosi want to be labeled that way too with her careless remarks?

The most-taxed nations are the wealthiest?

Matthew Yglesias of ThinkProgress.com makes the point:

For the record, however, the most-taxed countries on Earth (i.e., the countries where revenue is the highest percent of GDP) are in order:

1. Denmark
2. Sweden
3. Belgium
4. France
5. Norway

In terms of per capita GDP these are, respectively, the 4th, 9th, 14th, 15th, and 3rd richest countries on earth while the United States is 17th. Of course in part that’s an exchange rate phenomenon and if you use PPP adjustments rather than market exchange rates, the U.S. looks better. On the other hand, if you peer into the future it seems to me that exchange rate comparisons are likely to make us look even worse in years to come. The high-tax five also do very well on things like the U.N. Human Development index.

These countries have much less population than the USA. Their governments and people embrace all sorts of social programs. One thing socialism will do is level out the net wealth of the population because the incentive to excel becomes lower. Why bust your butt when most of your money goes to the government to support those who sit on their butts? There's also no argument from me that the folks in those countries are "happier" -- I'd be happy too if the government takes care of me for years, from my birth to my death.

But guess what? These nations aren't the most competitive in the world. Look at the Fortune Global 500 (2008) list. Look at the most recognized commercial brands: Apple, Intel, Microsoft, Toyota, etc. Look at the list of billionaires. Not many from the above listed countries, eh?

High taxes may not adversely affect per capita GDP, but it certainly diminishes the individual's will to exceed expectations and profit personally. In turn that spells trouble for the nation's industries and long-term prospects.

PEBO becomes PBO

Congratulations! The 44th President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, has now officially taken office, oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts.

God bless America!

Already giving Obama too much credit

In less than 24 hours, America will have her 44th president in a ceremony marking another peaceful transition of power of a great nation. Out with the Bush eight years. In with the Obama optimistic four years. Like Courtney E. Martin of The American Prospect, I too envision many participating or watching the inauguration will shed tears of joy and let out cheers of encouragement. Martin writes:

While we must resist the temptation to romanticize this moment into ridiculousness, it is legitimately inspiring.
...
It is the beginning of a more engaged, more hopeful citizenry. With leaders that treat us as more than a 300-million-person focus group, we can effectively hold those leaders accountable. We are no longer a manipulated mass, a nation of children embarrassed by our father's simple-mindedness and impulsive rage. We have stepped into our own power through this election process, grown wiser and more informed than any electorate in decades. Like the wide-eyed children who have found a new hero, we will inevitably be disillusioned, but at least we will be passionate. Indifference and apathy have been replaced with investment and the related risks. I'd much rather live in a country in danger of disappointment than in a nation of indifference.

Personally, I think each inauguration is inspiring. Not just from the ceremonial grandeur or the solemnness of it all. Not just from knowing that the person to become president won in the battle of campaigns. Not just from seeing the profound happiness on the family's faces. It's always a great moment, not just for the new president but also America and her children.

I do appreciate Martin's poetic optimism. However, it seems to come at President Bush's -- the previous administration's -- expense. That's not what the inauguration is about. We do look forward to a different and hopefully, a better, future, but that doesn't mean the past was dark and ill-fated. Citizens will hold accountable Bush as much as Obama. President Bush did not manipulate us. Neither is he simple-minded or impulsive. By all accounts, he's a decent man and tried leader of eight years. At least have the decency to acknowledge that, even if it's not the popular thing to do.

After all, President Bush never cared to be popular. He cared mostly to do the right thing.

Love for country is blind?

Joel Stein of the L.A. Times has this to say about conservatives' love for America:

...I still think conservatives love America for the same tribalistic reasons people love whatever groups they belong to. These are the people who are sure Christianity is the only right religion, that America is the best country, that the Republicans have the only good candidates, that gays have cooties.

In other words, Stein thinks conservatives are barbaric, narrow-minded, and self-righteous? Oh, and homophobic.

My personal observation has been that conservatives love America for its history and traditions, and their belief that those things will steer her to a positive path. Liberals, on the other hand, do acknowledge America's history and traditions, but their belief is that there may be something better out there, or that our minds cannot fathom everything about a theory or philosophy to determine its value. That's why many liberals are fond of Marxism and communism, even though history has again and again proven their failures to sustain a civil society. Yet liberals often call themselves "progressives." Go figure.

Here's what conservatives value: freedom and individuality. America has thrived and strengthened with these two core concepts. How else could such a young democratic republic become the world's superpower?

Freedom and individuality are also gifts from God. God made man in His own image and gave man free will. Our Founding Fathers understood that and believed the birth of America was a divine gift.

This love is not blind. This love is unconditional, reciprocating God's love for us.