Opinion

– By G. Miller Thompson –

We are nearly midway through President Obama’s second term.  Five days before the 2008 Election, Obama told supporters that he was ready to “fundamentally transform” America.  In the years since, the White House has certainly done its part to make this transformation occur.  As you probably guessed, I fundamentally disagree with the President and his team.  While they are succeeding in transforming the landscape of American society, the change has yet to occur fundamentally.  Many of the changes President Obama has made, I believe, are only temporary.

By “fundamentally transform[ing]” the nation, Obama meant he would pursue a radical agenda through which to expand the size of government.  We have watched with seemingly helpless eyes as the national debt has increased by more than 50% since the day Obama took office.

As you may have noticed from previous pieces, the national debt is of great concern to me and should be for all of my generation.  $17.4 trillion (and counting) is simply unsustainable.  This irresponsible spending is shameful and a disgrace to the hard working taxpayers whose money is being wasted.  It also sets a poor example for young people regarding money management.  It would not be unreasonable to predict a spike in personal credit card debt in the coming decades because, well, if the government can do it, why can we not?  As 2016 approaches, it is our moral imperative to elect a fiscally responsible president to lead the charge on our debt crisis.  The fate of our nation depends on it.

We also must focus significant attention on job creation.  By the way, Mr. President, this does not mean new government contracts.  Obama and his team believe that the government can solve its own problems by paying more workers in hopes that these individuals will invest back into the economy.  They are partially right.  We desperately need more workers to invest in the American economy.  However, these workers must come from the private sector.  Washington has yet to figure out that the government has more than enough employees.  Our government must work with private businesses to offer more full-time, private jobs to spur the economy.  (I should note that the CBO reports ObamaCare will be responsible for two million fewer full-time jobs by 2017.)

The third big issue in 2016 should be education.  The answer here, as far as the federal government is concerned, is simple:  get out of the way.  State and local governments have far more intimate relationships with students, parents, and teachers making them the obvious choice for administration of public education.  All of the Washington red tape being wrapped around education in the country is unnecessary.  There is plenty more to say on this subject, but that is another issue for another week.

I never bought Obama’s message of “hope and change.”  He and I disagree on what change America needs.  In my book, the first change happens right in the White House.  We need a new president, one who will lead by example and not from behind.  We need a president that takes responsibility and does not pass blame and ignore the tough issues.  We need a president that, frankly, is not Barack Hussein Obama.

The 2012 election cycle was a disappointment and we cannot afford ourselves the same problem in 2016.  The candidate platforms will undoubtedly be more extensive than the three issues I have presented, but these three are of utmost importance for success in the coming years.  Education shapes a skilled and talented work force; a skilled and talented work force shapes an economy built to last.

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The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Edgefield Advertiser.

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