2009-A year in Review

Duffy sees the ole' calendar about to turn over into another year, 2010, the start of a new decade. Actually to be precise the year 2010 is really the end of the first decade of the 21st century but we'll go with popular opinion. It's been an amazing year in which Duffy saw some things he never would have believed would happen.

Of course the signature event of 2009 was the inauguration of Barack Obama as the nation's first bi-racial president. That's right, bi-racial, born of an African father and white American mother. Obama seemed to come out of nowhere to be elected president and Duffy still wakes up sometimes and wonders, "Who is this guy?". Nevertheless, he is our president at least for three more years and Mr. Obama and the Democratic majority of Congress have embarked upon an ambitious scheme to remake American society.

Duffy knew that things would not be the same early in the year when the Federal government took over Chrysler and GM. The brutal way they trampled the rights of bondholders by essentially negating commercial contract law to seize the companies and appease the UAW was chilling to this writer. Both companies could have survived Chapter 11 in Duffy's view and the necessary changes made to ensure their survival could have been accomplished without massive government intervention. Now the government owns two auto companies, one of which, Chrysler, will probably fail anyway and the other, GM, will probably never pay back the $50+billion of taxpayer money. The Democratic insistence that GM and Chrysler build "green" cars before the market is ready will impede their progress even further.

GM and Chrysler is the primary example of what Duffy believes is the main force driving Obama and the Democrats: an ever increasing role of the federal government in American society. Of course "Health Reform" is the signature issue of Obama's first year in office and the most glaring example of come hell or high water the Democratic insistence of passing a bill, any bill, no matter how bad, to obtain their goal of universal health care. The fact that the Democrats feel impelled to ram this monstrosity through Congress with not one iota of Republican support, as soon as they can, is glaring proof to Duffy that they know the bill will not go down well with the American people. The Civil Rights Act and Medicare in the early 60's were both passed with bipartisan support but with more than 50% of the people opposed to the bill, why the Democrats insist on passage is beyond Duffy's understanding. Duffy believes the American people are quickly becoming disillusioned with arrogant one-party rule and will enact massive retaliation against the Democrats come November.

At first Duffy didn't know what to make of Barack Obama. Anybody that could defeat the Clinton machine to get the Democratic nomination had to have a lot of chutzpah, not to mention courage and stamina. The Democrats probably could have nominated Elmer Fudd and beaten John McCain who couldn't overcome his dreadful pick of Sarah Palin and the collapse of the economy at the same time. However, Duffy doesn't think that the American people necessarily voted for Barack Obama as they voted against George Bush and the Republicans. After observing Mr.Obama in his first year in office, Duffy feels that he is a combination of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Terribly naive and inexperienced, more so than Jimmy Carter even but with the supreme self-confidence and ability to give a good speech like Clinton, Obama incorporates the best and worst of both men. Duffy thinks that Obama really does believe he is a "game-changer" not only for America but for the world. But now that the man has been in office for a year he is finding out that the Pelosi/Reid Congress pretty much ignores him and foreign leaders don't fear him. Obama's foreign policy of seemingly apologizing for America everywhere he goes (bowing to the emperor of Japan was especially ridiculous) plus engaging enemies in endless "talks" will do nothing to advance American standing in the world.

As for the beginning of the next decade Duffy fears that passage of a terrible health care reform bill will enrage a large proportion of the American people when they discover what's in the bill as will as the fact that most
"benefits" don't begin until 2013 and 2014, but the higher costs and taxes begin immediately. Obama and the Democrats know they have a limited time to jam through their agenda before the American people vote a large number of them out of office in November. Duffy thinks November can't come soon enough.