Someone, whose opinion I value, told me that my comments on this blog seem to attack Barack Obama repeatedly. Since I advocate that the meaning of a message lies in how the receiver interprets it, I feel that I owe an apology to Barack Obama.
I don’t know Barack Obama; I have never even met him; and I have read very little about his personal history. From everything that I have seen of him, I think that he seems like a quite personable man. I even believe that I might enjoy conversing with him, even though we might disagree on a number of topical issues.
So, if my comments seem like I have attacked Barack Obama, the man, I apologize. I have nothing against him personally.
Here’s the other shoe.
President Obama, the present personification of the executive branch of the U.S. government, I disagree with vehemently. The President would have difficulty thinking up more detrimental programs and policies during this depression, than those espoused by President Obama.
His stimulus program has caused the misallocation of resources that the market would normally devote to economic recovery. His healthcare (or sickness care) proposal, if passed, will cause exactly what one would expect: rising costs and shortages. (Simple economics: You get more of what you subsidize. You subsidize sickness; you get more sickness. And, the government cannot calculate; it cannot know the appropriate cost of medical care.) His intrusion into the energy markets will cause more misallocation and probably higher costs.
Those represent only examples of why I criticize President Barack Obama.
But, even in criticizing the President, and not the man, I have committed another error in logic. The President does not act alone. Congress passes laws, and the Judiciary puts their stamp of approval on them (some argue that the Judiciary also passes laws.) So, for every reference that I have made to President Obama, maybe I should substitute “The Government.”
But, even that rather general reference would miss the point, for who really bears the blame for what has gone array in our political, economic system: You (second person plural). You have the President, the Congress, and the Judiciary that you have, because you put them in charge. You have the failed economic policies you have because you believe what they believe.
I offer a blanket apology to any person in position of President, Congressman, or Judge (or their defenders) that takes exception to what I write here. I criticize your behavior, not you.
In conclusion, I don’t make my critical comments to get You (the voter and consumer) to change these people; I write them to get you to change your mind.
