Many Americans have been wanting to know, "where is my share of the TARP (troubled asset relief program) funds? Why are hundreds of thousands of jobs being lost when so much taxpayer money is being thrown into the banking system benefiting so many large businesses? Where's it all going?" I have wondered much of the same thing.
I called the main corporate office of my bank the other day and asked one of the senior vice-presidents when they were depositing my percentage of the TARP monies they received into my account :-)? At first he wondered if I was joking. I assured him I wasn't. I gave him my income; asked how many customers my bank had; how much TARP money they received; and then divided those numbers and came up with what I thought was a fair percentage of TARP funds I was due... He wasn't amused; but he got the message. I greatly appreciated the sobriety that finally toned his remarks to me.
60 Minutes news correspondent, Steve Kroft, challenged President Obama about his actions and attitudes towards the current financial crisis in last night's interview when saying these razor sharp words to him (about 13:30 in):
The understatement of the year is: government is out of control. And despite a new administration, no one seems to be driving this run-a-way train and taking responsibility for its destination.
“You're sitting here. And you're— you are laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems. Are people going to look at this and say, ‘I mean, he's sitting there just making jokes about money—’ How do you deal with— I mean: explain. . .” Kroft asked at one point.
“Are you punch-drunk?” Kroft said.
But this should not surprise us. President Obama is becoming increasingly known for his gallows humor (where you and I are hurting; facing the death of our own financial futures, but he remains unfazed and immune.) He is unlike Clinton in that he really doesn't feel your pain nor is bothered by the fact that he is seen as such. He is not "cool" as some liberal pundits still affirm. He is cold; unmoved by the plight of those who are hurting today and left devastated by his own parties political actions (i.e. Frank and Dodd).
Example: the AIG bonuses were in the legislation Obama signed and Congress wrote. But yet, Obama and his appointees act as if they never knew of them before last week. So in the aftermath of declining approval ratings and escalating public concern, they successfully struck the match then fanned the flames of public outrage they created against these same AIG executives tapping into that age old emotion within societies underclassmen, "let's get someone in power." However, in the pedestrian world most of us live in everyday that dog just won't hunt. We know exactly what this tactic is: deflect responsibility from the immediate reality to a Rowlingesque fantasy claiming political amnesia all the while. It's the reason the Manchurian President goes on Leno and not Beck, Wallace, Hannity, Dobbs, Ingraham, or Limbaugh to schmooze the hoi palloi.That is why the following from Daily News contributor, Michael Goodwin, was so inspiring. I would encourage you to read the entire article.
To wet your appetite:“Missing in action is the Barack Obama who vowed to unite the country around common values. Lately he has been the very opposite of the man he promised. Instead of hope, many have a growing fear of the arrogant government he leads…
In truth, there is no history for what he is doing. He is the most radical President of our times, far outside the mainstream of our political philosophy…
He is not a reformer who fixes things. He fancies himself ‘transformative,’ a man who reshapes and reorders. It apparently begins with smashing the existing order under the pretext of managing the crisis he inherited."
