Republican 2010 - A Tempered Victory

Back in the 2008 Presidential election, I wrote that every twenty years or so the American public flirts with liberalism, and is then reminded to avoid it for another twenty years. Johnson, Carter, Clinton, and now Obama have been the deliverers of the liberal message, and the recipients of the public boot, either directly or through a massive change in Congress.

But this time is different. As far as the public is concerned, Republicans aren’t much better than Democrats. It’s a matter of which devil you prefer. I agree with the pundits who say that the Republicans are now on probation. The country wants the Republicans to act and solve problems, but it won’t be easy. Obama’s approach was to ease the pain by massive federal subsidies. It dulls the ache, but nothing gets better. The Republican approach will be to get the bad stuff and pain over with quickly. It’s gonna hurt; but we will come out the other end stronger…or so goes the theory.

In my humble opinion, this recession is not the result of the ordinary ebb of economic activity. It is systemic. There has to be major governmental course corrections in three areas before the economy can become normalized. I repeat them here again:

1) Normalization of the trade imbalances with China. We are going to have to get tough with Chinese currency manipulations and a Chinese economic plan based on exports rather than internal growth…which it could do if it so chose.

2) An aggressive energy policy. We are going to have to expand our energy supply in all directions with a view to creating energy for energy’s sake rather than a tool of environmental global warming policy. Drill here. Drill now. Build nuclear plants. Build solar and wind farms. Improve battery technology. Develop hydrogen powered cars. Build the infrastructure to allow for alternative energy development.

3) Develop a sane environmental policy. The environmental whackos are calling the shots. It has to stop. Everyone is for a clean environment, but the tail is wagging the dog on this one, and unless it stops, the dog is going to die. Reasonableness and cost effectiveness must be given due consideration. Real science, not pop or cult science, must be the basis of decisions. Review times need to be shortened…and humans must be place above irrelevant, minor and obscure species whose extinction is irrelevant. Thousands of species die out every year by natural selection, and the world keeps on spinning.

As for health care and social security, we need to grow up and get real, balancing the financial realities with undue expectations. The health care bill should be tossed or massively amended to take care of the needs of the uninsured and contain costs. There are ways it can be done without cost effectiveness government panels deciding you are too old for that hip replacement. Many of the social security issues can be resolved by raising early retirement to age 64, and full retirement to age 67. Simple solution… DO IT!!!! People also must be made to realize that social security was never designed to provide an individual with a “full” retirement. It was designed as a supplement, not a life style.

These are simple concepts, although vested and extreme based interests will make a political stink. If the government can do the above…America will once again find the path to greatness.