That was Then…This is Now

By William L. Garvin

“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics…and those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.”  President Obama’s FIRST inaugural address, January, 2009.

In his second inaugural address, the President focused on different priorities which are supposedly uppermost in the public’s mind:  gun control, climate change, gay rights, and voter suppression.  Apparently the $16 trillion dollar debt, unemployment still at 7.8% (the same as when he took office), 47 million Americans on food stamps, and the most anemic recovery in history from a recession (which ended in 2009), are no longer matters of presidential concern.  It goes without saying that these new priorities are “all for the children.”

Prominently displayed throughout the day was the irrepressible Senator Chuck Schumer from New York.  He prepped for his prime time appearance by promising on the Sunday talk shows that for the first time in four years, the Senate Democrats would prepare a budget!  What an earth shattering revelation.  “We Democrats have always intended to do a budget this year,” according to Schumer.  Needless to say, nothing was said about the President’s budget proposal being late once again but then the Senate is FOUR YEARS LATE!  Naturally, Schumer’s key and most blustery point was “…it’s going to have revenues in it and our Republican colleagues better get used to that fact.”  The tax train is stopping at a station near you…all aboard!  Maybe that’s why the Democrats booed Congressman Paul Ryan when he came to be seated at the festivities.

But since gun control is the flavor of the day, (now that Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Syria, Mali, the resurgent al-quaeda, the deteriorating Arab Spring and the economy are no longer politically relevant), here are a few facts brilliantly laid out by Mark Alexander  (The Patriot Post (www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/ ) to combat the prevailing emotional pablum being spewed:

“So, why all the political focus on "assault weapons"?
Because these weapons have been used in many murders, and crimes involving them have increased dramatically in the last 20 years, when gun control advocates coined the term "assault weapon," right?
Wrong. According to the FBI's most recent Uniform Crime Report, a summary of all serious crimes committed each year, in 1992 violent crime incidence was 752 per 100,000 people and 9.3 murders per 100,000.
In 2011, the violent crime rate had dropped to 386 per 100,000 and the murder rate to 4.7 per 100,000 -- nearly a 50 percent decline in both. This precipitous drop occurred at a time when the number of firearms increased dramatically -- including the sale of more than six million "assault weapons."
So, why all the political focus on "assault weapons"?
The 2011 FBI data shows that there were 323 murders committed with rifles of any kind. However, guns defined as "assault weapons" by the federal government were used in less than 0.5% (one-half of one percent) of all murders with guns in 2011.
By comparison, 496 murders were committed with hammers and clubs, and 1,694 murders were perpetrated with knives. Notably, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that drunk drivers are responsible for nearly 10,000 deaths each year in the U.S. -- far more than the number of deaths involving guns of any kind in 2011. (Should there be federal background checks every time someone orders a beer or glass of Chardonnay?)
Additionally, according to the demographic and geographic profile of most violent crimes, the vast majority of perpetrators who murder with guns are associated with gangs and/or drug cartels, which thrive on urban welfare plantations.
In fact, there were more than 500 murders in Obama's hometown of Chicago last year -- a city with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. Most of those murders were tied to gangs and drugs.”
In reality, most “assault weapons” are “defense weapons” purchased by law abiding citizens.  For many of them, it actually is all about the children.  For others, it is a well armed militia, which in the language of the times was the general public.  For others, it is a matter of sport, hunting or target shooting.  For others, it is a matter of “choice.”  But liberals only support choice for liberals.

Let the Good Times Roll!

By William L. Garvin

Happy days are here again!  Laissez les bons temps rouler!  All those nasty Bush tax cuts which the Democrats refused to make permanent are now institutionalized as the Obama tax cuts.  There is one difference—now all those nasty rich people who have been robbing orphans and widows are going to be punished.  Their tax rates are going up and new revenue will just come gushing in.  The Obama Economy is in full recovery mode.  Don’t worry; be happy!

Why just look at the job boom in the last month alone.  There were 155,000 new jobs created.  That’s wonderful—all the television stations say so.  Don’t worry that the number is insufficient to keep pace with population growth.  Don’t worry that the unemployment rate rose to 7.8%.  Don’t worry about the number being revised downward next month—it’s a BOOMING recovery.  It’s party time!

Our astute leaders in Washington obviously believe their own press clippings.  Otherwise, they might actually be concerned about the $16.4 trillion (and growing) national debt.  Instead, they are not only refusing to place any significant spending cuts in place, they are already reverting to their pork barreling ways.  Examples highlighted in the San Francisco Chronicle show “fiscal cliff” crony capitalism running rampant.  For instance, “There’s 75,000 happy wind workers today,” an industry representative told them. “They literally have scarcely any orders for next year.” However, Washington’s corporate welfare program will pay wind farms $22 for every megawatt-hour of electricity they generate.  Congress also provides alternative energy producers $1.01 per gallon for cellulosic biofuels.  The Bill extends tax credits for construction of biomass, geothermal, hydropower and other alternative power plants.  Congress insists the extension is a one-year loophole that will “only” cost taxpayers $116 million this year but critics point out that the tax credit itself is good for the next 10 years!   The final cost will be closer $12.2 billion by the time alternative energy corporations are done benefiting.
There’s also $15 million for asparagus farmers and a $4 million tax break for people who buy “2 or 3-wheeled plug-in electric vehicles”.  Puerto Rican and US Virgin Island rum makers will have a majority of their federal taxes refunded.  There’s another item called the “NASCAR Pork Chop” which costs out at around $70 million which dwarfs in comparison to Hollywood’s $430 million late Christmas package.  Estimates of the total pork barrel hover in the $76 billion range.  Let the good times roll!

After Harry Reid called John Boehner a “dictator” (a phrase he never uses when discussing actual dictators!), Chris Christie joined the fray over the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill.  One hesitates to say he “piled on” for obvious reasons.  Unfortunately, he was way out of line and for a change, Boehner was right.  The Bill was another blatant example of continuing fiscal insanity and another manifestation of Congressional addiction to spending.  Some of the porker additions are as follows: $28 billion for future unspecified "disaster-mitigation" projects; $100 million for the repair of Head Start centers around the country; $8 million to buy cars and equipment for Homeland Security and Justice departments; $150 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to dole out to fisheries in Alaska; $2 million for the Smithsonian Institution to repair museum roofs in Washington, D.C.; $207 million for the VA Manhattan Medical Center; $4 million for repairs at Kennedy Space Center in Florida; and $3.3 million for the Plum Island Animal Disease Center of New York.

The bottom line is that most of the bill money would never reach the Jersey shores and the people who actually need help.  After all the hoopla about FEMA doing such a wonderful job, much of the area is still in shambles, uninhabitable and mired in red tape.  Maybe that Obama-Christie hug was “premature congratulation” and less than satisfying to the people they are supposed to represent.  But don’t worry; be happy.  This administration has a wonderful economic plan to spend us into prosperity.  Don’t worry about spending cuts or sequestration.  The President has said the latter won’t happen and he doesn’t seem to care about the former.  It’s a wonderful world; no worries, mate; let the good times roll!

Hip, Hip, Hooray…for Hypocrites!

By William L. Garvin

You may have noted that Harry “The Hilarious” Reid, the Senate Majority Leader, made another of his cameo appearances.  This is the guy who has buried bill after bill after bill from the House of Representatives and then whines that they haven’t voted on his slap dash bill they threw together last week.  Forget that for weeks he has had a House bill that would extend all the current tax rates and has steadfastly refused to bring it out for an up or down vote.  Forget that he has not produced a budget for four years in direct defiance of his constitutional duty.  Forget that he hasn’t proposed a single actual spending cut.  Forget that he demanded twenty years of Mitt Romney’s tax returns but has yet to produce a single tax return of his own.  By the way, you Maven of Mirth, where’s the apology you, your acolytes and your “reliable source” owe Governor Romney for saying he never paid taxes?  You are such a cutup.

The national debt has now escalated to over $16.4 TRILLION dollars, half of which has occurred during your six-year run as Senate Leader.  Who are you to lecture anyone on fiscal responsibility?  And exactly why are you getting a pay raise?  Why don’t you explain how if it is bad for the economy to raise taxes on the middle class, how it is good for the economy to raise taxes on the rich?  In fact, just exactly how do you plan to grow the economy?  Oh that’s right, you don’t have a plan.  When you do come up with one, I’m sure we’ll have to pass it to find out what’s in it.  That worked really well last time, didn’t it?

We won’t find out any more about the details of our government gun-running operation “Fast and Furious” this year than we did last year.  However, expect all sorts of Chris Mathews’ spittle about gun control and assault weapons.  If someone swings a baseball bat at you, is that an assault weapon?  Ask Tiger Woods if a nine iron is an assault weapon.  If someone tries to stab you, is a knife an assault weapon?  If someone tries to run you down with a car, is an automobile an assault weapon?  Expect tons of Washington time to be spent on how many bullets can legally be in a clip or magazine by people who don’t the difference between automatic and semi-automatic weapons.  Expect the media and the internet to continue to rail about the Bushmaster AR-15 that was used in the Newtown massacre.  It wasn’t but don’t let the truth get in the way.  Expect Hollywood to wax poetic about abhorring gun violence while continuing to stylize murder and mayhem.  Expect video games to get progressively more graphic and violent.  Expect liberals to continue to strongly protect the rights of criminals and judges to release more of them back into society.  Expect liberals to mainstream the mentally ill.  Expect the Department of Justice to jail a filmmaker for a movie trailer that had nothing to do with the Benghazi murders but expect the Department of Defense to give unparalleled access to the makers of “Zero Dark Thirty” and give no thought to Muslim reactions to the latter.

Don’t expect Hillary to shed any light on Benghazi.  Doesn’t it seem odd that none of the survivors of the attack have been interviewed by the Congressional committees?  Are they also suffering from medical difficulties?  If there is systemic failure, why hasn’t anyone been fired?  Oh that’s right, they’ll get pay raises too….

Washington politicians will continue to talk out of both sides of their mouths on both sides of the aisle.  They’ll all come out with far more wealth than when they went in.  They’ll make sure that outsiders never interfere with the political ruling class.  It’s a political insider club sucking the economic life out of America.  Here we are at the end of the year on the edge of another fiscal disaster perpetrated on the American public by our duly elected representatives.  If you elect clowns, you shouldn’t be surprised when a circus breaks out.

  

Thou Shalt Not Kill!

By William L. Garvin

During the Golden Age of Radio, the Shadow knew “what evil lurked in the hearts of men.”  The protagonist, Lamont Cranston, would be hard pressed to understand the twisted minds and blackened hearts that assault innocent victims in this day and age.  He would be even more frustrated at the lack of logic that permeates current political thinking on economic issues.

For instance, the Simpson-Bowles bipartisan commission recommended $3 in cuts for every $1 increase in revenue.  Unfortunately, our President has an obsession with confiscating ever increasing amounts of property from the achievers whom he defines as “the rich.”   His fixation closely resembles the madness exhibited by Captain Ahab in his deathly pursuit of Moby Dick.  The President campaigned against “millionaires and billionaires” but tried to impose increased taxes on those who make $250,000 per year.  He and his sycophantic followers ignore the fact that the income raised by such a measure would run his bloated government for a maximum of ten days and would do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to reduce the national debt.  They also assume no negative “unintended consequences” of such an act nor do they propose any actual cuts to any budget.  They only propose to reduce the rate of growth of government.

Even though President Obama has previously stated that it makes no sense to raise tax rates in a fragile economy, he seems ready to do exactly that.  He seems fully prepared to go over the “fiscal cliff” so he can score political points by blaming Republicans.  Why shouldn’t he?  After all, if there is no agreement, taxes will go up on everyone thereby giving him short term funding for his profligate spending.  Of course, those in the lowest income taxpayer bracket, whom he is supposedly looking out for, will see their taxes go up a whopping fifty percent!  He will simultaneously kill economic and job growth.  The economy will undoubtedly go into recession and the US credit rating will once again be reduced.  That will instantly increase our costs of borrowing.  But he will have won…he will have harpooned his rich Moby Dick!  If you don’t think he won’t sacrifice the middle class, keep in mind that the first people he threatened to throw under the bus during the last debt ceiling debate were the military and Social Security recipients.

Equally illogical is the liberal reaction to the Newtown killings.  While parents were still in shock, before the tears had even begun to flow let alone dry, liberals were in full throat and in a maniacal pursuit of their own—the Second Amendment.  Naturally their only issue is guns.  Their arguments ran the gamut from ridiculous to hypocritical.  The ridiculous was the Code Pink disruption of the NRA news conference.  Code Pink of course supports Planned Parenthood which has terminated millions of innocent lives.  Code Pink is to liberals what the KKK was to Southern Democrats—a terrorist arm of the party…albeit less muscular.  Then there’s University of Rhode Island professor Eric Loomis who retweeted:  “First f***er to say the solution is for elementary school teachers to carry guns needs to get beaten to death.”  What a perfect example of liberal hypocrisy, intolerance, and irony!

When NRA President Wayne LaPierre said "The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," liberals went apoplectic.  When he proposed an armed guard in each of our schools, liberals were aghast.  One liberal even opined that innocent children might be caught in a cross fire.  Apparently, it is better for children to die at the hands of an unopposed assassin.  These “low information voters” also fail to recall their roots.  In the year 2000, on the one year anniversary of the Columbine shooting, President Bill Clinton asked for another $60 million to place another 452 officers in 220 communities as part of his “COPS in Schools” program.  He bragged about placing 2,200 officers in more than 1,000 communities across our nation, where they are heightening school safety….”  In 2011, President Obama’s Department of Justice also provided $13 million to local law enforcement agencies (according to the DOJ, COPS website) to respond to growing school safety and security concerns.

Senator Feinstein quickly pointed out that the two armed guards at Columbine didn’t stop the intruders.  Of course she failed to note that her assault weapons ban, which was in effect at the time, didn’t stop them either.  Strict gun laws haven’t stopped murders in Chicago or Washington D.C., or Mexico.  Lawbreakers will always break laws.  Putting new ones on the books will only make it more difficult for law abiding citizens to protect themselves.  We should be looking at the mentally ill, movies, media, music, and video games as well as gun safety.  You can’t keep crazy people from stealing weapons to kill people in gun free zones but let the hysteria begin. 

Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

By William L. Garvin

“Aint got no place to lay your head,
somebody came and took your bed,
don't worry, be happy
the landlord say your rent is late,
he may have to litagate,
don’t worry, be happy"

Bobby McFerrin

There is only one president in USA history that has presided over a budget with a trillion dollar deficit.  That is Barack H. Obama.  He has the ignominious record of now having accomplished that feat four years in a row.  It is very likely that he will make it eight years in a row at his current pace.  Since the national debt was $10.6 trillion when he took office and now stands at $16.3 trillion, we can project him leaving office with America over $20 trillion in arrears!  He will have outspent George Bush by over two to one!  Don’t worry, be happy.

The federal budget year runs from October 1 through September 30 of the following year.  For October, the first month of this 2012-2013 budget cycle, Washington ran up a $120 billion deficit.  This is 22% higher than October of last year.  We have yet to see any increase in the labor force participation rate, any decrease in the number of people on food stamps, or any significant reason for employers to begin hiring.  There is no indication that things are going to get any better but don’t worry, be happy.

Our economic problems are compounded by the federal government “bitterly clinging” to its absurd fiscal policy of baseline budgeting.  This fiscal behemoth institutionalizes government growth.  Since 1974, they have taken the current expenditures and multiplied it by a factor for inflation and population growth.  Similar to compounding interest, government compounds already bloated budgets.  It automatically goes up without any congressional action.  Remember, the Senate has not produced a budget since 2009.  When the President produced his mockery of a budget, it couldn’t even get a single Democrat vote.  Don’t worry, be happy.

When it comes to budget cuts, both parties only talk about reductions in the future rates of growth.  Why isn’t there a discussion of a freeze at current spending levels?  Why isn’t there a discussion of a cut back to 2010 levels?  Or 2008?  Or 2006?  Why isn’t there discussion of actual reductions in current levels of spending?  Keep on spending…keep on investing…forward to prosperity.  Don’t worry, be happy.

Some people object to across the board spending cuts because it reduces effective programs as well as ineffective programs.  Unfortunately, targeting specific programs never seems to work.  Politicians feel obligated to bring home “pork” to their constituents.  They are obligated to the interests that funded their campaigns.  The U.S. Postal Service just lost $15.9 billion dollars, triple the losses of last year.  Most green energy can only exist with government subsidies.  Planned Parenthood has over a billion dollars in assets but still gets taxpayer money.  Big Bird and its Sesame Street cohorts pay its CEO nearly a million dollars and is a toy marketing machine.  We throw billions of dollars into a foreign aid sinkhole with no appreciable results.  This administration shows no inclination to reduce its “investment” in any of these areas.  In fact, can you name one specific cut to any federal program that President Obama has put “forward”?  But don’t worry, be happy.

Everyone should take a lesson from Richard Trumka, head of the AFL-CIO, who recently said: "There is no fiscal cliff."  In addition:  "What we’re facing is an obstacle course within a manufactured crisis that was hastily thrown together in response to inflated rhetoric about our federal deficit."  Who knew sixteen trillion was mythical?  Tell it to the coal miners who have been thrown out of work.  Tell it to the 18,500 workers who used to have jobs with Hostess but may soon be standing in unemployment lines because they listened to their union bosses.  Tell it to all the employees who are having their hours cut to less than thirty hours per week.  Tell it to the fifty percent of last year’s college graduates who are unable to find a job.  Tell it to the 7.9% unemployed.  To all of you, don’t worry, be happy.

Remaking and Marketing the GOP

By William L. Garvin

 

Now that the election is over and the American people have spoken, it is clear that the Republican Party needs an extreme makeover in order to become “culturally relevant” and acceptable to today’s electorate.  First of all, you have to scrap all that Judeo-Christian stuff.  All of that talk about Heaven, Hell, and Jesus makes people uncomfortable.  Exile God from the platform, the government, and the country.  As for sin, that’s such an outmoded concept.   Why shouldn’t I be able to do what I want to do without being judged by others?

 

You need to have an updated, culturally relevant Bible.  When it says to honor your father and your mother, it needs to address two fathers or two mothers.  The idea that marriage is between one man and one woman is so quaint, so old fashioned.  It’s just one of many lifestyle choices. That “life begins at conception” stuff also has got to go.  Since we’re entitled to life, liberty, and happiness, terminating that “tissue mass” which would be inconvenient to my contemporary lifestyle shouldn’t be any big deal.

 

While we’re at it, stop relying on that musty old Constitution.  After all, it was written by a bunch of old fogies a long time ago.  It may have been fine for them back in the dark ages but not a one of them knew how to operate a smart phone or a computer.  Get with the times!  They thought that government should have limited, specifically enumerated powers.  How can government give out “free stuff” if we listen to those codgers and what they intended?  Don’t worry about paying for it—you can spend your way into prosperity!  Once you’re too big to fail, the government can print some more money.

 

When it comes to votes, it’s a buyers’ market, GOP.  What can you give me?  All men are created equal so where’s my free stuff to make me equal?  Don’t give me any of that “don’t covet your neighbor’s goods” shtick, either.  Whatever anyone else has, I should have.  All those rich, nasty, old white men cheated and stole to get it so it’s no big deal if we take it away from them.  They hate poor people, they hate minorities, they hate sick people, they hate the environment, and they hate women so they deserve to be punished.

 

Another thing, GOP, you’re going to need a lot of money, probably several billion dollars.  You need to have a sophisticated political analysis and marketing operation.  It needs to dissect, simplify, separate, isolate and target specific sections of the electorate.  Different strokes for different folks.  Don’t worry about consistency.  You can advocate amnesty for illegals and still court union votes while ignoring the fact we have eight percent unemployment.  You can provide free birth control, free condoms, advocate homosexual marriage, use taxpayer money for abortions and still ask for the support of evangelical churches and claim to be a Christian.  The prevailing principle is “more personal pleasure.”  Get ahead of the curve and legalize and provide free marijuana along with food stamps.  Good old Alinsky principles work every time.

 

Another reason you’ll need a lot of money is you have to flood the airwaves with commercials that assassinate the character of your opposition.  Truth is irrelevant if you can destroy their image through the politics of personal destruction.  All’s fair in love, war, and politics.  Don’t worry if people say they hate negative advertising—it works.  Besides, they will forget and forgive all the lies and dirty tricks when you win--because winning is everything.  Another reason for needing money is you have to buy a bunch of television stations and newspapers so you have a cadre of “reporter supporters” who glorify your every move and NEVER ask probing questions about important issues.

 

If anyone challenges you with foolish concepts like balanced budgets, limited government, free market capitalism, reducing the national debt, or lowering unemployment, label them as extremists or Tea Party radicals.  If you don’t get your way, shout that it’s because the others are unwilling to compromise.  Always take personal credit for anything positive that happens in any part of the known universe.  And whatever you do, never admit that anything you have ever done was wrong.  Never accept any personal blame or accountability for anything negative that happens.  In fact, be offended if they even ask.  Always have someone else to blame.  Keep blaming Bush.  It’s the new, proven political path to success. 

 

 

Mr. President—Clean Up This Mess!

By William L. Garvin

Let’s pray that by the time this is being read on Wednesday, the election war will be over, the victories will be decisive, the armies of lawyers will be told to stand down, and the UN inspectors will be on the first plane out of town.  Good riddance to the latter and thank heaven we will not have to listen to any more of those disgusting campaign commercials.  As near as can be told, there is not a single decent person running for any office anywhere in this land!  Why worry about possible “voter suppression” when you have concrete evidence of “candidate suppression.”  So, whoever you are, Mr. President, get down to work!

There is no question that you have inherited quite a difficult situation.  The first order of business should be to bring the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House into the Oval office, bang their heads together and say “I want a budget!  No sequestration; no continuing resolution; no elimination of the “Bush tax cuts”; no trillion dollar deficit!  You will stay in session until the Peoples’ work is done!  When you’re done with that, come up with a feasible plan to reduce the ridiculous $16 trillion debt and restore the credit rating of the USA!”

Mr. President, don’t complain that “you’ve inherited a mess.”  You asked for the job so fix it!  You just spent a billion dollars to get it, so no whining!  Right off the bat, take care of those poor people who have been isolated, decimated, and aggravated in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.  Make sure they have electricity, water, food and fuel.  It is heartbreaking to see those poor souls on Staten Island who feel they are forgotten and ignored.

Get people back to work!  There are hundreds of thousands of layoffs being planned so new economic directions are critical.  Stop the “strangulation through excessive regulation” strategy that has its foot on the throat of small business in America.  Forty percent of Americans have less than $500 in savings.  That’s unconscionable but predictable when one-sixth of the country is living in poverty.  GDP growth is anemic and the labor force participation rate is the lowest in decades.  Fifty percent of college graduates were unable to find employment last year.  That’s a disgrace.

Now that the election is over, assuming we have no hanging chad controversies and innumerable court challenges, there are some other messes to clean up.  Why is the cost of health insurance going up so fast when the “cost curve” was supposed to be going down?  Why are so many employers dropping health insurance coverage for their employees?  Why is the cost of college tuition going up so fast?  Additionally, what really happened in the “Fast and Furious” fiasco?  What really happened in Benghazi?  When will those investigations be completed and the results made known to the American people?  Why has it taken over three years to try Major Nidal Hassan, the homegrown terrorist, for the Fort Hood massacre?  It’s time to call it what it is: terrorism, not workplace violence! 

While you’re at it, how about developing a common sense approach to energy independence?  So far, the Department of Energy has been an incredible failure despite its incredible expansion in staff and budget over the years.  The promised five million green energy jobs never materialized.    In the green energy realm, company after company is falling by the wayside.  The same thing is happening to them in Europe.  Invest the taxpayer money in research and development but stop wasting money on unproven, ineffective, and inefficient technologies…even if those companies were put together by campaign donors!

When you’re done with that, come back to “We, the People” again.  We’ve got some other concerns regarding foreign policy.  Why are we pouring so much money into the United Nations?  Why are we pouring so much money into foreign countries, with no strings attached, who continually vote and act against our best interests?  How should we sanction those who threaten our national security?  How do we keep our American citizens safe in hostile lands?

Mr. President, we need our national media to hold you accountable for results, not promises; for deeds, not words; for truth and transparency, not half-truths and back room deals.  Of course, Mr. President, that will only happen if you are a Republican!  Nonetheless, Mr. President, clean up this mess.  We, the People demand it and we deserve it.