by Frank Li
Dear Governor Haley,
On February 26, 2013, you made national news by saying some daring things. Here is an article about it: Nikki Haley slams Washington after meeting with Obama. Here are two excerpts:
When she asked Obama if he would consider a last-minute plan to shave about 2 percent from the annual federal budget without increasing taxes, the answer was “no.” “My kids could go and find $83 billion out of a $4 trillion budget”, Haley said. “This is not rocket science.”
“There is something very wrong in this town.”
I liked the story and promptly included it in my publication Sequester, Capitalism, Democracy, and Money Theories, praising you with “you are right, Governor” multiple times. It’s time to balance it out by telling you that “you are wrong, Governor” in two aspects, at least:
Your expectation of President Obama is wrong.
Your expectation of Washington is wrong.
1. Your expectation of President Obama is wrong
You asked President Obama to shave about 2% from the annual budget without increasing taxes. How could you have done that? You do not seem to understand President Obama at all! Here are some facts and reasoning:
Barack Obama never managed a budget or payroll before becoming the President! How could you have expected him, or anybody like him, to understand, let alone to manage, a $4T budget?
Our national debt sky-rocketed from $9T to more than $16T during President Obama’s first term. What makes you think President Obama will suddenly become a less prolific spender? He is addicted to spending, massive spending! Give him another $1T, and he will spend it in no time!
President Obama has successfully staged a class warfare against the rich as part of his election and re-election campaigns, winning both times. Recently, he even got the tax hikes for the top 1%. Why should he lose his appetite for more revenues, when he can’t cut anything? He is addicted to spending our future and there is no limit to it!
2. Your expectation of Washington is wrong!
You said “There is something very wrong in this town”. That was an understatement at best! Virtually everything in Washington is wrong today!
Why and how? Please read: It’s the political system, stupid! Specifically, let me give you two reasons:
President Obama was too young and too inexperienced when he took office. Worse yet, he served his first term for no purpose other than “getting himself re-elected ad nauseam“, to the extent that he even manipulated the war in Afghanistan to his re-election advantage (read: For Obama the Road to Reelection Runs through Kabul)! Fortunately for America, the Presidency is limited to two terms.
For Congress, it’s infinitely worse, because of the lack of term-limits. Most, if not all, of the members of Congress serve for no purpose other than “getting themselves re-elected ad nauseam“. They spend their entire incumbency trying to get themselves re-elected by any and all means, including destroying America by emptying her public treasury! Most of them are career politicians. For them, serving has never been about us or about the U.S. – It’s all about them, themselves only!
In short, they all serve themselves first, their constituents a remote second, and their country dead last! Here is the net result: “Game on and hell to the country!”
Still wondering why America is so deeply in trouble today? Wonder not! Once again, please read: It’s the political system, stupid!
3. Closing
I believe I have the most accurate diagnosis for America, as well as the best solution. For a complete school of thought, please read my book Saving America, Chinese Style!
Thank you!
— Frank Li, Ph.D.