1. Give countries that in any way support fanatical Islamists a hard time... unless, of course, that country is Saudi Arabia. The Wahhabi Sect, a radical offshoot of the Sunnis, is a State-sponsored religion in the Saudi Kingdom. The majority of the 9-11 hijackers were from the Kingdom. Osama bin Laden was a Saudi. There are numerous other suggestions (not proof) that the soft dictators in Saudi Arabia don't really oppose fanatical Islamists. The House of Saud has been bound to the House of Bush in a business sense for years and years. When Obama met the "King" of the Kingdom, he bowed deeply to him. Such deference coming from a President is a bit much... not especially significant, but still, a bit much. Obama, like Bush and every other President in my long memory, ignores the downside of Saudi Arabia--- for one, the fact that it's a dictatorship... for another, the fact that it supports what is essentially a fanatical cult. Wahhabis have zero tolerance for Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Shiite Islam, even some Sunnis, and democracy. [A couple of Arab political analysts have proposed that what's currently going on in Iraq is a proxy war between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran.]
2. Continue the over-half-century, outdated, vindictive U.S. Policy toward Cuba... a land where, about a hundred years ago or more, our Fed Gov't stole at gunpoint Guantanamo Bay; a land where our Fed Gov't supported the brutal dictator Batista; a land where for years & years, the CIA tried to assassinate Castro; a land where for years and years, our Govt's NeoImperialism reigned supreme. Yes, the Castro Gov't once was a threat to us; no reasonable person thinks that now.
3. Continue the policy of letting the Fed Reserve Board of Governors arbitrarily set interest rates... rates that should be determined by a Free Market. The only people being served well by the Fed are the Hedge Funds and other speculators on Wall Street. The Middle Class suffers... and those at the very bottom of the economic ladder are completely screwed.
4. Similar to number 3, continue the policy of unsound money.
5. Continue to allow mega banks to use depositors' money for risky, often shady so-called "investments"... instead of requiring them to raise their own capital for such activity.
6. Continue on with the antiquated, underfunded, understaffed SEC, which cannot possibly oversee the automated, algorithm-driven, split-second, computerized Wall Street "trading" of today.
7. Continue to promote and support the window-dressing "reform" laws relative to the out-of-control Financial Sector. That will assure large, future campaign contributions from white-collar thieves.
8. Continue the myth that the President can write "Executive Orders" on just about any subject he/she pleases... and that such actions are "implied" by the Constitution and have the full force and effect of Congressional Legislation, even if Congress opposes those "Orders". That is complete nonsense and utter claptrap. There is no such implication in the Constitution. Again, We the People are being played for chumps. [To see exactly which Orders are permitted, go to Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Only two are enumerated... no others are listed, or implied. The first is that the President may require in writing the opinion of each Executive Department Head on any subject relating to their duties. The second is that the President may order pardons for offenses against the U.S. (except in cases of Impeachment). The Constitution enumerates powers, it does not imply them. If the power isn't listed, the Feds don't have it. To get a new, unlisted power, they must Amend the Supreme Law of the Land. To believe that the document implies this, that, or the other is to accept the idea that it can mean pretty much anything that anyone wants it to mean. That makes it worthless.]
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The point of this three-piece series on the Bush-Obama Doctrines is simple: when it comes to significant and substantial matters, there is little to no difference between (at the highest levels) modern-day Republicans and Democrats. They're merely two branches of the same (and only) major political Party in the USA. Furthermore, it's obvious that they no longer serve the best interests of We the People. "Voting" doesn't necessarily guarantee a representative government, especially when 99.9% of all candidates at the national level are selected, groomed, and financed by an Oligarchy of the super-rich... while the very few honest politicians are completely ignored, or smeared, or otherwise marginalized. There is a better way, but first we must stop drinking the Edward Bernays style Propaganda Kool Aid. That's essential if we are to generate a fair, just, prosperous, and free society.
Be Well
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