A Beat Up New Years Baby

I would like to wish everyone a happy new year. I would like to, but realistically, we will still be working on the problems left over from 2014… and 2013… and, well you get the idea. In other words, it’s a new year with the same old problems.

Iraq, ISIS, Afghanistan, the Taliban, Obama Care, GITMO, Illegal immigration, the list goes on, and it keeps getting longer. Depressing? Yes it is. But what positive steps are being take to solve any of these problems?

GITMO: Obama made a campaign promise in 2008 to close the Cuban terrorist prison. He found that promise difficult to keep when no country wanted to take the inmates – not even their home countries. It looks like Obama may have finally twisted enough arms (or greased enough palms) to find new homes for these terrorists.

In one instance, he traded (probably illegally) five high-level terrorists for one Army deserter. In another instance, The Saudis agreed to take some prisoners and detain them at their “rehabilitation center”, a posh resort for wayward terrorists where they can contemplate their evil deeds and learn new ways to terrorize the world. We can look forward to seeing these men back in the game in the not too distant future.

Afghanistan: Well, the end is here. We know that because our Commander-in-Chief said so, although we still have troops stationed there “for training purposes.” After 13 years, the Afghan Army is suddenly declared capable of holding on to their country. And Grandma’s big teeth pose no threat to Little Red Riding Hood. The Afghan Army did prove adept at shooting our “trainers” in the back, though. Is the war finally over? That was what Obama told us about Iraq when he pulled our troops out because there was an X marked on the calendar for that day.

ISIS (or ISIL, or IS, or whatever this scum calls itself these days): This is a graphic example of what happens when we try to set an arbitrary deadline for ending a conflict. The hostilities between Sunni and Shiite Muslims have been ongoing for some 1300 years. Don’t look for it to end in the coming year. We are fighting a perverted religious notion being promoted by murderous zealots in an uneducated and backward country. The situation will get a lot worse before it gets better – if that is even possible.

Obama Care: As Nancy Pelosi (the House Speaker that told congress they need to sign the bill to find out what’s in it) said, “It’s the law.” Unfortunately, it is a bad law. And people are now finding out just how bad it is. Premiums are going up, while coverage is getting worse. Sure, more people now have health coverage. This has been achieved by charging more to those that pay, while giving others a free ride. It should have been no surprise, though. Obama told Joe the Plumber we need to spread the wealth around.

In 2015, both houses of congress will be controlled by Republicans – the same people who tried 41 times to repeal Obamacare. Regardless of which party controls congress, bills require the President’s signature to become law. Head-on confrontation with Obama over the healthcare law will go nowhere. It might be better for the Republicans to try fixing the law – if possible – rather than spinning their wheels trying to dump it.

Illegal Immigration: Okay, Obama unilaterally (and probably illegally) declared amnesty for some 22 million people in the country here illegally. Sure, he threw up some hoops and hurdles for the illegals to jump through. I am sure they won’t be too much hindrance for some slick immigration lawyer to avoid. The Democrats need those votes, so don’t look for that problem to go away this year.

And here is a new problem fresh for the new year, the Imperial Presidency. Obama may have lost his roadblock to Republican bills in the Senate, but as he says, “I have a pen.” We have already seen the damage he can do with that pen, when he unilaterally ordered amnesty for illegal aliens. The fact is the US Constitution says nothing about the President being able to make law through executive orders. It takes the House, Senate, and President to create a law. From day 1, Congress gave the President, as chief executive, the power to issue executive orders to administer the country’s business. They did not give him the power to create laws. Congress needs to better define Presidential authority on this matter.

Okay my friends. Enjoy the New Years celebration. Raise toasts to the brand new year. When the party dies down and reality sets in, remember the ghosts of New Years past. They’re going to haunt us for a long while to come.