"A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing"

By Tom Flake

Here we are two years into President Barak Obama's administration and I have to admit as I searched for an analogy, or metaphor to compare/contrast his administration, I was reminded of nothing so much as a Shakespearian play.   Those on the right might say, "That's too high praise".  But bear with me.  The Shakespearian play to which I refer is MacBeth and in particular the line... "It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."  Let me illustrate.

On 12.3.2009 Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said that "revving up the economy and get companies to start creating jobs again was Job No.1"  The article can be found here.  During the ensuing 2 years the federal government was the primary creator of jobs and those jobs, due to the project centric nature of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act were transitory in nature.  In other words the job only existed during the duration of the project.  Now that most of those projects are winding down, it should be expected that those jobs will be eliminated.  Once that occurs, unemployment will revert to an essentially unchanged level at the mid 9% range or higher.

On 3.10.11 Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that President Obama's administration was "focused like a laser beam" on gas prices.  The article can be found here.  The article goes on to say that in Thursday of that week gas was at $3.59.  In February it had been $3.17 and in March of 2010 the price had been $2.76.  As I write this 4/12 the price is $4.00.  Three months before the last election, then Senator Obama called for release of fuel from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which had recently reached $4.11.  The source can be found here.   So I don't get it, if he is focused like a laser beam, he makes several speeches over a two week period that have no effect, he doesn't take the action that he advocated a previous President take and then he moves on with no effect to show for the effort.

To some extent President Obama is our creation.  We as a people, and here I am stereotyping, have attention spans comparable to gerbils.  Our ADD President was hired by us primarily because of his ability to entertain us not because of his track record of doing anything.  Did we really expect that a Senator whose major accomplishment during his tenure in Illinois was to vote "present" was going to suddenly learn to roll up his sleeves and stick with problems until they are resolved? 

If past behavior is indicative of future behavior, what behavior and results should we expect from this President?  I think today's announcement by Michelle Obama is a good case in point.  The template seems to be that a close advisor (Treasury Secretary, Transportation Secretary, First Lady) makes an announcement that some issue pressing to the populace has risen to the President's attention (Unemployment, Oil Prices, The state of military families).  The President then makes a speech or speeches indicating that 1) He feels our pain 2) He will make it a high priority (Job No.1, Focus like a laser etc.).  The "focus" and by this I mean speeches, last for about two weeks and then he moves on to NOT solve another problem.

 I've given you examples from the past, I gave you an example from the present, now let me predict the future.  In the next few days some close advisor to the President will announce that it has come to the attention of the President  that the Federal Debt, associated interest payments and tax burden are strapping middle-class and poor people.  That the President will focus like a laser on this problem.  For two weeks (until the Federal Debt Ceiling is raising by another Trillion dollars) we will hear speeches indicating his knowledge and caring on the problem, how he is "rolling up his sleeves" and "locking arms with Republicans" and other such crap and then our attention will wane and he will move on.  Our children will be another Trillion in debt and we should blame nobody but ourselves, because it is a "Tale told to idiots full of sound and fury signifying nothing."

Comments

[Locutisprime]

"Loves labors lost" comes to mind also. "Let fame, that all hunt after in their lives,
Live register'd upon our brazen tombs
And then grace us in the disgrace of death."

As does the baby duck mentality of the American dumb masses.

Baby duck mentality?

For most people in America, when it comes to paying attention to their government? They are like baby ducks. "Every day is a new day." (they learn nothing from previous experience).

Dumb masses? Self explanatory.......

[Cal]

Ten months later and your unemployment predictions have been proven quite incorrect, though I suspect that somehow it won't change your mind on the policy you criticized.