Fiddling While Rome Burns

The depiction of Nero fiddling while Rome burns in the background has become synonymous with both incompetence and a total detachment to reality. It’s a metaphor that has been increasingly used to describe the Obama Administration. The Economy is in the tank, thanks to a carefully crafted campaign by Obama to depict it as a “Catastrophe” waiting to happen. All the while, the Administration has yet to give a solid plan to recovery.

While the Economy burned, Obama took a hands off approach to crafting the Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The result, a partisan mess that deflated, rather quickly, the much talked about era of post-partisanship. It didn’t receive one Republican vote in the House and only enough to barely pass in the Senate. It didn’t even meet Treasury Sec. Geithner’s conditions of temporary, targeted and timely.

Obama’s budget calls for even more spending; while at the same time saying it will cut budget deficits. It assumes an overly generous assessment of economic growth in order to semi-balance its books. Tim Geithner recently went to the Senate to defend Obama’s budget, getting a dressing down by Judd Greg, Obama’s choice for Commerce Secretary. Gregg told Sec. Geithner, “The argument that it cuts the debt in half in four years is, ah, is truly spurious.” He even went as far to say “When you take the deficit and quadruple it and then you cut it and half, that’s like taking four steps back and two steps forward, That’s not making any progress; you’re still going backwards.” Much of the details of Obama’s budget will be filled in later.

Then enter the Omnibus bill, which even though people are hurting in this economic downturn, has over 9,000 earmarks of Pork. Obama didn’t want to tarnish his image so he had his friends strip his name off of earmarks he put in while still a Senator. It was signed behind closed doors the day after it passed Congress, a direct slap in the face to all the rhetoric of transparency and accountability.

While Rome burns, Obama wants to spend. It’s not his money; it’s not even our money. Most of the money will be borrowed. Creating a huge debt that will have to be paid of eventually. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) recently said

“In just 50 days, Congress has voted to spend about $1.2 trillion between the Stimulus and the Omnibus. To put that in perspective, that’s about $24 billion a day, or about $1 billion an hour—most of it borrowed. There’s simply no question: government spending has spun out of control.”

While Rome burns, instead of actually giving, instead of just promising, hope and confidence in the economy. He has his staff attack the critics of his economic and social plans. Meanwhile, Americans have lost 18% of their worth due to the decline of the Stock Market. Instead of taking any responsibility, Obama keeps blaming others.

While Rome burns, the Obama’s have been busy trying to get their place in the DC social scene. According to the Washington Times;

“Earlier this year, the Obama administration invited top editors of three of Washington’s local luxury lifestyle magazines to a meeting where they discussed, among other things, how President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama can embrace Washington’s glittery social scene.”

It amazes me that a President that so wants to be part of the in crowd, doesn’t even know how to treat a valued guest and friend, in UK’s Prime Minister. It is absolutely scandalous how Obama treated Gordon Brown. I personally apologize to any Brit for the way Brown was treated. Michelle definitely didn’t do dignity to the title of First Lady by giving Mr. Brown’s children $15 souvenirs of Marine One. It shows a serious lack of class on the Obamas, and in turn the American people.

While Rome burns, Obama want to pass his, very partisan version of Health Care Reform. To bad his initial pick for Health and Human Services Secretary couldn’t have the grace enough to pay his taxes. Instead, he wants to spend our tax money to help create a new entitlement program that will cost the taxpayers billions, $600 billion is after all just a “down payment.” Silly me, my plebian brain, actually thought “toxic” assets were the root cause of our economic downturn. It was lack of health care all along, why did we spend $700 billion, which Obama voted for in the Senate, for TARP? What about TARP II? Why the hell is Pelosi calling for a second stimulus package, if all we need is affordable health care?

While Rome burn, Obama is pushing for a Cap and Trade scheme for carbon emissions. Let’s totally ignore the fact, that cap and trade has failed Europe. Let’s totally ignore the fact, that cap and trade is another tax, a tax that will be passed on to the consumer. Consumers are experiencing hard financial times, how many economists out there say that raising any taxes during a recession is a good thing to jump start the economy.

While Rome burns, Obama is using the fires to recreate the Government in his own image. Obamanomics is already a failure. Geithner doesn’t know how to answer the simple question of what is a saved job? Geithner, who was assured by Obama, was needed in order to turn the economy around has offered a sum total of Zero plans. His lack of a plan, help precipitate the biggest decline of the Stock Market since Obama took office.

Obama seems totally ignorant of the fact that most Americans have much other life savings tied to the Stock Market. He even says he doesn’t care about the day to day “gyrations” of the market. Hell he doesn’t even know that “profits and earnings” are the same damn thing. Are the American people that are seeing their worth go down the tubes mean anything?

If the President cared a damn, he would have the SEC get rid of the Mark to Market rules that helped cause this mortgage meltdown. He would actually have to take his eye off the fiddle and see the fires burning around him. It’s clear to me and a lot of other people, that Obama was more interested in becoming the President than actually being the President. His “hands off” approach to governing is the epitome of Nero fiddling. I just hope that the American people have enough buckets to put out the fires that Obama doesn’t seem to notice.