Frary Home Companion: How about that president?

5 mins read

Now I’m not going to argue that our new president is a mere “Teleprompter peripheral” or a crypto-Moslem Marxist from Uranus, but I do think it right to raise some questions about his simple competence.

I am not talking here about his claim to have a grand national strategy, meticulously designed to alter the course of American history, reform education, transform American health care, create five million green jobs, lift us out of recession and implement policies which will safeguard against any and all future economic crises. Grandiose claims are an established presidential tradition, shared by all. I don’t know how seriously the voters really take such blather, although they do seem to expect it.

The reality is that our president has not had the time to develop any kind of grand and comprehensive plan. The course of our gigantic government and even more humongous economy, and still more complex culture cannot be dictated by a mere mortal. Experience teaches us that presidents can speed up the growth of government, or they can retard its growth, but they are powerless to control the monster. It simply can’t be done.

It is questionable whether any president has the power to exercise effective control over the vast, blobby educational establishment. The costs of health care have grown steadily about at a rate of 7 percent a year, and the rate is likely to accelerate as the baby-boomers advance steadily to the edge of the grave. Nobody knows how much the president knows about economic policy. Nobody knows what books on economics he had read or whether he has read any and no journalist thinks it worthwhile to ask.

I don’t pretend to understand his economic policies. On one day he signs a $787 billion dollar stimulus bill. The next day he commits to an estimated $275 billion mortgage relief plan. Shortly after he convenes a national conference on fiscal responsibility, followed immediately by a speech to Congress outlining plans for vast expenditures on education, health care and green energy. Even economists in his own camp can’t seem to agree on what to expect. Judgement on his economic competence depends on how he implements his plans and how well they work.

In the meantime, we know only that he is competent get elected and raise a cheer. Consider the evidence.

He launches a campaign to destroy Rush Limbaugh’s influence. El Rushbo’s ratings go sky high.

He announces that the Gitmo camps are to be closed. Eventually. Nobody knows what is to be done with the inmates.

The “reaches out”to Iran, Syria, etc. They respond with wet, resounding raspberries.

He promised great that a kinder, gentler foreign policy will restore American “leadership” in the world and assures the world that America will be a humble leader. He even bows to the King of Saudi Arabia – in public. But the G20 nations decline to endorse his global economic plans and NATO declines to increase its troop deployments in Afghanistan.

He summons the nation to unite behind his new beginnings. He fails to unite the Democratic Congress behind his leadership.

He vowed to go through the federal budget page by page, line by line during the campaign. He signs off on a stimulus bill that no one even pretends to have read all the way through.

His Cap-and-Trade scheme was supposed to transform the American economy and bring our climate under human control. He has failed to bring even the Democratic senate under his control; 26 Democrats have joined all 41 Republicans to require 60 votes for passage of such a program, rendering its passage quite impossible.

So far his competence remains an open question. I’m open to discussion, contradiction and debate on this. I really am. I can be reached by the e-mail address attached to this column by anyone who willing an able to provide evidence demonstrating simple competence.

Professor John Frary of Farmington is a scholar, patriot, gourmand and curmudgeon and can be reached at: jfrary8070@aol.com

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

5 Comments

  1. Glad you didn’t use too many Big words. I’m A simple person that can’t understand most of John Frarys vocabulary. I am a registered Republican. Simply stated I think our President is doing as good a job as anyone can do, given the shape that this country and world are in. He is not hiding behind anything. He is very strait forward and to the point. He does not seem to be for any particular party, but for the good of the country and the World. Lets not find fault but support our President.

  2. Some (hopefully competent) thoughts In response to a few of Mr. Frary’s points:

    Gitmo detainees can probably be prosecuted and redetained in our more than ample federal prison system, unless they’re shipped off to Bagram. Take, for example, the guy who tried to enter the US from Canada to blow up LAX.

    Engaging in Iran and Syria does not mean they’re going to give us a big hug. It’s called diplomacy. Something we’ve been missing for eight years.

    I don’t agree with the bow to the Saudi’s either. He should have sent Biden to meet those clowns.

    Not to completely excuse the G20, but troop deployments are only part of the solution in Afghanistan. Co-ed schools and humanitarian assistance might also help cause less suicide bombings. Perhaps we could also get the Saudis to fund education for women in Pakistan also, considering private donations from that country to extremist Madras’ (sp?) were to blame for the crazies coming out of that area. Thus, my clown comment above.

    Just because all Democrats don’t agreee with everything Obama says doesn’t mean he is a failure as a party leader. For example, his reiteration of Bush’s policy on executive authority and warrantless surveillance is wrong. I don’t pretend to know what the economic solution might be. However, a Congressional rubber stamp from his own party would make me think that they’re not mulling these solutions over at all.

    Limbaugh should have been ignored.

    It’s been what 3 months. Considering the deregulatory hole that helped cause the current financial crisis began in the Reagan administration, chill. your tenured. And be glad your dissent isn’t being called traitorous, like six years ago.

  3. The perfessah said

    “So far his competence remains an open question”

    There is no question in the voter’s minds, state or local, about Frary’s

  4. Mr. Haszko it is a wonder you weren’t elected, comments like that add nothing to a healthy political discussion.

    As far as placing the Gitmo Detainees in Federal prisons, this would be a great idea if they weren’t already overflowing with non-violent drug offenders. 1 in 100 Americans are in jail, our jail population is larger than any other nation and we can barely afford to keep the jails open. Though I agree the Gitmo prison should be closed, We must recognize the problems we have internally with our prisons before we assume we could just transfer those prisoners here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.