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With the Christmas shopping season upon us, it is time to brace yourselves for the "twist and shout." I am not referring to a song or dance, at least not in the literal sense.
Retail stores are hiring seasonal help, albeit, not to the scale in years passed. To many, this is in hopeful expectation of crowds of shoppers with cash or credit card in hand, even with a depressed economy. No matter the reason, tens of thousands of Americans will be starting second jobs and part- time employment through the end of the year.
Immediately following the holidays, the Obama administration will begin the "twist and shout." This will be where they twist seasonal hiring into jobs the president has created or saved. Then you will find them all over the media outlets shouting about how they are saving America and the economy.
The sad part of the twist and shout is that hundreds of thousands will be convinced that the Obama administration created Christmas in the stimulus package, and that is where the seasonal jobs came from.
In reality, the current administration has not created anything, aside from empty campaign promises. Anyone remember the promise to end the war in Iraq and withdraw all the troops? Then there was the promise to close the Guantanamo Bay terrorist prison? Health care reform by August? I remember a little thing about posting legislation on their Web site to be a transparent government.
I suppose promises and big ideas aren’t all that bad; they did garner the president a Nobel Peace Prize and he had time to lobby for the Olympics.
There is one positive thing that has started to fall into place. That is the fact that the worst president in American history is no longer that guy from Georgia.
As you walk though the stores this holiday season or you go to your second job to have Christmas money, keep listening for the Beatles playing "Twist and Shout" over the public address system. If you miss it, there will be plenty of twist and shout from Washington in the months that follow.
David Bruce
Gainesville