Convoluted
President Obama has a weakness for thinking in categories — compartmentalizing. For someone who provokes swoons among liberals for his great intellect, he has repeatedly evidenced an unsophisticated, one might even say simple-minded, view of the world: Workers good; bosses exploitative. Borrowers good; lenders bad. Patients good; insurance companies bad. Again and again, the president and his spokesmen have justified their expansions of government power as efforts to help those who "through no fault of their own" find themselves in difficulties.
Most politicians drag this "I'll take care of you" rhetoric out during campaigns, but Obama has institutionalized it in policy.He has a veritable Ph.D (piled high and deep) degree in it.
One of those piles — the Home Affordable Modification Program — was a total failure.
Recall that in February 2009, President Obama proposed to solve a "crisis unlike we've ever known." It wasn't, the president insisted, that anyone had made poor decisions — [of course not - let's not confuse the people with "accountability" here].
"It begins with a young family … They save up … They choose a home that feels like the perfect place to start a life. They secure a fixed-rate mortgage at a reasonable rate, and they make a down payment, and they make their mortgage payments each month. They are as responsible as anyone could ask them to be." But then someone loses a job, a spouse has his or her hours cut, or a child becomes sick.
Um, isn't that called "Life"? Life happens as a result of the decisions we make. Such a simple concept which frees us because we know we are in charge of our lives. Don't like your circumstances? Make different choices.
We live on the planet Earth, not in a bubble. One cannot protect people from"Life" — or their decisions — or the consequences of such decisions.
Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Assets Relief Program (SIGTARP for those who speak Washingtonese) blasted the program in a July report:
"Treasury's refusal to provide meaningful goals for this important program is a fundamental failure of transparency and accountability that makes it far more difficult for the American people and their representatives in Congress to assess whether the program's benefits are worth its very substantial cost.
"The American people are essentially being asked to shoulder an additional $50 billion of national debt without being told, more than 16 months after the program's announcement, how many people Treasury hopes to actually help stay in their homes as a result of these expenditures, how many people are intended to be helped through other subprograms, and how the program is performing against those expectations and goals. Without such clearly defined standards, positive comments regarding the progress or success of HAMP are simply not credible, and the growing public suspicion that the program is an outright failure will continue to spread.
In contrast to the Obama morality play, the foreclosure crisis was not a conspiracy of the rich and powerful against dutiful homeowners reliably making their monthly payments. It was the result of multiple stupidity by government, bankers, and individuals. Obama's instinct to insulate people from the consequences of their bad decisions (and yes, sometimes bad luck) amounts to subsidizing failure. The results are coming in daily — persistent high unemployment, an anemic recovery, and billions upon billions of wasted taxpayer's money.
– based upon article by Mona Charen
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Tags: Government Obama Spending
