Hobbs’ Hump Day Hot Topics on America’s Debt Ceiling/The Obama Doctrine/Peace Corps Rape Hearings
One has to respect New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie, who is one of the more consistent critics of the escalating federal debt ceiling.
Christie recently informed Republicans that if they fail to do as promised by reducing federal debt, that he would campaign against them in New Jersey during the next election.
Similar credit is due to Florida Freshman Republican Senator Marco Rubio, who indicated this week that he favors Medicare reforms promoted by Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan.
Under Ryan’s plan, Medicare spending would be drastically cut for individuals under 55. The political wisdom of this move is that it would keep current seniors—those who vote in massive numbers—at bay during next year’s election cycle.
And for those under 55, it is critical that both parties take serious looks at debt—including entitlements such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. Politicians often discuss the future we will leave our children, but seem at ease with the knowledge that China, Japan, and the United Kingdom collectively hold trillions of dollars in U.S. Treasury Bonds. The only long-term solution to cutting such debt is to restructure the entitlements that clog much of our Gross Domestic Product.
HIGH SPEED RAIL FIASCO
When Florida Governor Rick Scott decided to decline nearly 2.4 billion dollars in federal dollars to build a high speed rail between Orlando and Tampa, my initial question was whether Scott’s decision was simply a ploy to endear himself with Tea Party members who have forced more centrist Republicans back to the core conservative tenet of limited federal government.
Democrats, of course, harshly criticized the decision this past January, arguing that jobs would be lost and Florida would lose an opportunity to modernize transportation along the chronically congested I-4 corridor.
This week, at least one Republican has vocalized displeasure, as State Senator Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, criticized not only Scott’s decision, but also the arguments Scott’s General Counsel proffered to the Florida Supreme Court declaring that the governor had the authority to make this decision without the advice or consent of the state legislature.
As to the potential benefits of the rail project, Altman said that “the governor is either intentionally lying or it’s malfeasance.” From most indications, the rail would have turned a profit within a decade.
The fact that Florida’s federal earmark is now being spread across 15 other states, including Michigan and New York, bears asking whether the short term adherence to limited government will impact Florida’s number one cash cow—tourism. The ability to travel from one tourist destination to the next via high speed rail was indeed promising. Ditto for commuters who make the 80 mile trek between Orlando and Tampa by car—paying over four dollars per gallon of gas to do so.
Again, I understand and agree with the argument that in tough times we must tighten our belts. But I also understand the argument that sometimes you have to spend money to make money. Governor Scott, a former CEO of Solantic, knows this concept too, which leads me to conclude that this was simply politics—not principle.
OBAMA DOCTRINE: LEADING FROM BEHIND?
Judas, Benedict Arnold and Nazi collaborator Vidkun Quisling share the common trait in that their names have become synonymous with “traitor.”
Because so many within the modern media age prefer anonymity, the senior level Obama administration official who stated that with respect to foreign affairs, that the Obama Doctrine is “leading from behind”, will avoid being ostracized for being a traitor—or criticized for the naivete of his/her argument.
The criticism was lodged in response to the Spring of Discontent in the Arab world with revolutions breaking out in Egypt, Libya and Yemen. The anonymous critic clearly was taking aim at the president’s refusal to insinuate himself too deeply in most of these revolutions, with the notable exception of the NATO no-fly zone in Libya.
Of particular frustration for neo-con hawks is Syrian “president” Bashar Assad’s brutal crackdown on democratic protesters. Syria, long a supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, has also been a chronic thorn in Lebanon’s side.
President Obama has criticized Assad’s crackdown, hoping, perhaps, that by increasing verbal pressure while maintaining diplomatic relations, that reforms will hasten.
That is not “leadership from behind”, rather, it is wise leadership that allows self-determination.
Often lost in discussions about America’s debt to sister nations is that we remain, as FDR once coined, the “Arsenal of Democracy.” Such a mindset was clearly necessary during the Cold War to offset the military might of the Soviet Union. But today, must we insinuate our military or saber rattle each and every time civil unrest occurs abroad?
Fortunately, President Obama understands that we do not have to commit forces in fights that do not directly implicate American interests. Now if we can just bring the troops home…
PEACE CORPS RAPE ALLEGATIONS
Count me among those that will watch with great interest Congressional hearings to determine whether female members of the Peace Corps have been subjected to mistreatment by Corps leaders after reporting being raped while on assignment.
Few crimes are as morally repugnant as rape. Even worse is when officials either fail to take rape allegations seriously or somehow impute such rapes on the victim’s behavior, as several former Corps members have suggested in recent weeks. If proved true, the only alternative is to restructure the command hierarchy so that women who are willing to give their time and lives for humanitarian efforts can rest assured that immediate action will be taken by American authorities when such evil events occur on field assignments.
