OBAMA THE TRILLION DOLLAR PRESIDENT

The Rebuilding of America by President Obama will require “Guts” by himself and politicians to reinvest in “Trillion Dollar” terms, and in the legacy terms of long term thinking and planning. Let’s face it the nation knows our country is in dire straights. The nation has just undergone a multi-system trauma, and we are bleeding economically with no end in sight. We need resuscitation.

According to the US House of Representatives Committee on the Budget, report dated February 4, 2007, Bush inherited a 5.6 Trillion Dollar ten year surplus, and the Bush’s Republican policies took the nation’s coffers to a 8.8 trillion dollar nose dive into the red, ending with a 3.2 trillion dollar deficit, and we are arguing over a measly 825 billion dollars.

The Golden Hour

Poetically, “We” are at deaths door and there is no bright light at the end of the tunnel. The end of our republic is near, and congress is operating in the twentieth century of stinking thinking, partisan short-term positioning for the 2010 elections, and not in the long term survival of the nation. If we all survive this trauma then that means both the Democrat and Republican will survive.

If “We” as a nation were a patient loosing blood at the rate of economic loss-one would know we are about to die-and so it is with our economy and our nation. Our economy is critically injured and “We” have arrived at the critical juncture between life and death called the “Golden Hour.”

R. Adams Cowley, MD, from the University of Maryland states, "There is a ‘Golden Hour’ between life and death. If you are critically injured you have less than 60 minutes to survive. You might not die right then; it may be three days or two weeks later -- but something has happened in your body that is irreparable." The University of Maryland (http://www.umm.edu/shocktrauma/history.htm), tribute to Dr. Cowley also states,” the “Golden Hour” emerged based on the importance of speed and as well as in the skill in operating procedures.”

Doing nothing and not using skill in the “Golden Hour” of the implementation of our “stimulus procedures” or of deploying the stimulus package would be tantamount to negligence. It can mark the beginning of the end for President Obama’s presidency if he allows the Republicans to keep him in the mire of short term thinking, and partisan politics. If we don’t get this right we will be squandering the “Golden Hour” we have to infuse the economy with the Trillions “We” need to keep us from falling into irreparable damage, and it will be the Republican’s who will be at fault, if they keep blocking or delaying this measure.

It is Time We Invest in Ourselves.

President Obama has reached out during this economic catastrophe, and continues to reach out not to further the Democratic agenda, but because he knows why he was elected, to save the nation from economic catastrophe. President Obama is thinking of America’s best interests and its survival not politics-he wants this to work, and “We” know this. “We” the people also see who is undermining his efforts, and we will let our voices heard in the poll booths. Speed and skill is needed to pass this stimulus package and “We” understand that we need to invest “Trillions” not billions.

“Billion dollar” thinking ended when our governments budget reached the Trillions, and our GDP hovers in the Trillions, and John Boehner arguing over “Other projects included in the stimulus proposal are: funding for contraceptives, $50 million for the National Endowment of the Arts, $44 million for repairs to the U.S. Department of Agriculture headquarters, $200 million for the National Mall, including $21 million for sod, and $400 million for "national treasures," is chicken feed. It is small thinking compared to the trillions we need to get this right.

Just to get the economy to base we have to spend at least 3.2 Trillion dollars just to break even. Let’s put this in real terms and think in terms of economies of scale. What will do the most good for the most people? If we stopped spending 700 Billion dollars on imported oil in five years we would recoup the 3.2 Trillion needed for a real Stimulus Plan, and one year to recoup the paltry 825 billion Congress is now working to pass.

Investment vs. Spending

Some Republican’s and people like John Boehner are stuck in the twentieth century. President Obama has repeatedly stated that he does not want pork, and some Republican’s are screaming “bloody murder” because we want to repair our Department of Agriculture, make our National Mall a jewel to see and visit, avoid a population explosion like China, support the Arts-our culture and our “national treasures,” but it is obvious they have not travelled the country and have seen our decaying cities like Detroit, Philadelphia, or our crumbling infrastructure-they live in a bubble.

Cities like New York seem “Old World” compared to Beijing, Madrid, Paris, Dubai, and Shanghai and Singapore. Philadelphia gave birth to the American Revolution and American Independence, and Philadelphia should be a showpiece of early American history, because they made the hard decisions despite politics, but the unfortunate thing is it is not. Today, it is run down and worn out. Our founding fathers legacy to us was to provide the framework in their long term thinking to see who and what we are today.

Our legacy can be that at the “Golden Hour” of our greatest needs our generation made the hard decisions to invest and see our country thrive and prosper well into the 23rd century. If our economy was a person it will take action, the right medication at the right time, and right now we need a massive infusion of 3 Trillion Dollars “stat.” Like blood we need it typed and crossed and ready to go.

The Republican’s view this as “Spending” and this is where they miss the mark. “We” see this as an “Investment” to a more prosperous nation. “We” need the stimulus package skillfully constructed and know it is the foundation of the figurative house President Obama is gutting and rebuilding. Like President Truman reconstructed the White House President Obama will be carefully and skillfully re-constructing our nation.

“We” are Patient but Exacting

“We” the people know this will take a long time to recover and we are willing to “hunker down for the long haul” if we have accountability and transparency. “We” are willing to forgo immediate tax relief if the foundation we set today will carry the nation to long term prosperity. “We” can shoulder the current tax burden if there is fiscal responsibility in the “Investment.” “We” can endure austerity if Congress and the states and our nation’s cities are willing to implement an austerity plan with us and use performance measures to improve government.

We have seen runaway spending in the Republican lead era of the eighties and in the Bush era and that is what Politicians have become accustomed to when they take power. We have seen the resurgence of the $5,000 dollar toilet seat, the crazy junkets, the gaudy spending of the rich and famous. “We” are willing to go “Quid pro Quo” but only if what is required of “Us” is not squandered by short term thinking, and unmeasured and unbalanced double standards.

Tax Breaks and tax relief have become political ploys and gimmicks to gain our vote, and we are tired of short term political efforts to reduce taxes when it just digs the nation into a bigger grave. All tax incentives should be removed from the stimulus package and be discussed when the tax reconciliation period ends in 2010.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities published this article titled: JOINT TAX COMMITTEE ESTIMATE SHOWS THAT TAX GIMMICK BEING DESIGNED TO EVADE SENATE BUDGET RULES WOULD INCREASE LONG-TERM DEFICITS; By Joel Friedman and Robert Greenstein. The Minutiae of tax reform can be discussed when the Bush tax cuts expire. Right now, the patient needs a massive 3 Trillion dollar infusion not a prescription on tax policy or a paltry 825 Billion.

“We” need Home Values stabilized. Our colleges and Universities need funding. “We” need a plan to create jobs that is part of the “Investment” in America. “We” need our manufacturing sector restored. “We” need to see our infrastructure, and our cities rebuilt. “We” need mass transportation and electrical grid re-configured. “We” need to bring train travel into the 21st century by creating new hubs of 300-400 mph Maglev trains. But more than anything “We” need the government to think in the terms of economy of scale that “Trillion Dollar Thinking” can do to create opportunities, by demanding our economy to be off of fossil fuels, in the next five-ten years. Here is where the nation and our businesses can create the opportunity in “New Industry,” but first we need resuscitation.