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Your Views: Questions remain despite presidents misguided praise
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Mr. Obama appeared on the news recently praising himself and his fellow Dems. (He is really good at this.) According to the way he sees it; the last two years have been the "most productive" of any administration in history. When he made this statement some questions came to mind. Here are a few:

Is the country better off now than when he took office? Are there fewer unemployed people? Is our dollar stronger? Are people optimistic about the future?

Has the immigration problem been effectively addressed? Is the private sector less hobbled and in a better position to be more competitive? Do people feel comfort about adequate medical care in the future?

Is our country respected more now than it was two years ago? Will our military become a more effective force with the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell?" Will the military become a gay magnet? What kind of discipline problems will this policy generate?

Have we made significant progress in becoming less dependent on foreign sources of energy? (Gasoline is $3 a gallon and we have a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf.) Will START slow or stop the proliferation of nuclear arms? What reason do we have to trust the Russians? (They have a 10 to 1 ratio over us in tactical nuclear weapons; this issue was not addressed). Will our ability to perfect and deploy ABMs be hampered?

Are North Korea and Iran less threatening? Do people feel more secure? Is government trusted more or less? Has the corruption swamp been drained? (Old Charlie is still around.)

After pondering these questions, I had, perhaps others also, trouble agreeing with Mr. Obama's assessment. However, I do very much agree with a recent poll concerning Congress - 13 percent approval. They have earned it!

I have been around for 80-plus and have never seen an admiration and Congress so condescending and contemptuous of the "little people," i.e., "we are so smart and they are so stupid."

From where I stand, the problems created and left unresolved by the 111th Congress and this administration equate to the level of an invading army.

The Dems have also been ably assisted by, I hope, a dwindling herd of RINOs. (The Republicans are unsurpassed when it comes to ramming victory into the jaws of defeat.)

Three cheers for our Johnny go-along. What the heck, who will remember six years from now? Surprise, surprise for the Tea Party of Massachusetts who thought they had voted for a Republican but instead they got a Brown Democrat.

It appears to me, our greatest hope lies with the 112th Congress. However, there is always the highly contagious amnesia disease to contend with, so prevalent in the halls of Congress. This disease, apparently, causes politicians to forget who put them there and why they are there. Pray the Tea Party's inoculation will be adequate.

Gary Gambrell
Murrayville