Congratulations to all of you on our new president. For those of us who supported him, it has been quite an extraordinary journey. I always believed in the notion that “You cannot fool all the people all the time.” and people will eventually see through you and they did.
But I guess we don’t have much time to celebrate. We stand at pivotal times in our history, not because we have elected an African-American but because of the financial mess we find ourselves in. The hole we find our selves get bigger by the day. Every day it is a new industry that needs the bailout, first it was mortgage industry, then the Wall Street, then banks and now auto industry. It looks like dog chasing its tail and we have been running in circles for more then a year.
We have sixty days before new president takes office and the current president checked out long ago. Sixty days of torture for its people while “Rome Burns”.
For those of you who want to look at the history to figure the future out, I would recommend “The Forgotten Man – A New History of The Great Depression” book by Amity Shlaes.
I have put together some of my thoughts together for the new president. These may sound like common sense approaches but as you know, when it comes to Washington, common sense is not as common as you think.
http://www.slideshare.net/TSiddiqui/framework-for-turnaround-presentation-758505/
Best Regards,
Tariq Siddiqui
Originally wrote this blog on Nov 22, 2008 at http://whentectonicplatescollide.wordpress.com/2008/11/22/sixty-days-of-torture-while-rome-burns/
GM is on the brink of bankruptcy and no one really seems to care. President Bush seems to care less and Republicans don’t seem to care at all. Experts are lining up at CNBC to give their opinion, and they seem to be unanimous, let GM file for bankruptcy. Former GE CEO, Jack Welch, joined the foray with his verdict against the industry. In theory it makes sense, if we are going to prolong their misery for six more months before their demise, then we should let them die now.
But this reasoning is intellectually dishonest and morally bankrupt. Auto industry all together employs 5 million people; bankruptcy by the big three will at least cause half of these jobs to disappear. It will force millions to apply for unemployment benefits and the unemployment rate will at least double to 15-16%. It will cause major contraction in the economy and we may not be able to get out of this mess in the first term, or second term, of the Obama presidency.
We as a nation cannot stand by while millions loose their jobs. We have to give our best if we think this industry is viable in the long run. Once these blue collar jobs are lost they aren’t coming back. These auto workers have worked all their lives in these plants and that’s all they know how to do. I am not suggesting socialism but I believe the industry is recoverable and requires a major surgery. It requires redoing the labor contracts, substantially reducing the dealership, eliminating several brands and above all producing high quality, energy efficient cars. This may sound a lot but it is not impossible.
For twenty five billion dollar, tax payers get to sit on the driver’s seat. With smart and well thought out policies, we can turn this industry around. With almost one trillion dollar spent and nothing to show for, this could turn out to be the best investment we ever made.
Originally wrote it on Nov 24, 2008 at folllowing blog:
http://whentectonicplatescollide.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/is-this-class-warfare/
See my Blogs: When Tectonic Plates Collide
http://WhenTectonicPlatesCollide.wordpress.com
http://WhenTectonicPlatesCollide.blogger.net
America is at cross-road. We have a country that is divided, our planet is in peril, our economy is in tail spin, and our markets are in free fall. The foreclosures are at their highest level, dollar is slumping, forty five millions of Americans without health care – a number hard to fathom -- and the list goes on. The problems we face are monumental but not insurmountable.
The world is transforming at lightening speed, our competitors are rising with a breath-taking rate, and our dependence on foreign oil is at its highest. With no coherent strategy to keep us competitive and reduce our addiction on foreign oil, we are more and more owned by foreign sovereign funds – another way to say foreign countries. We didn’t get here overnight and we won’t be able to solve these problems overnight but doing the same thing over and over again will give us the same old result.
We need a visionary leader who has a character, judgment and intelligence to lead us in these turbulent times. And Sen. Obama is that leader. He demonstrated during his carrier as a community organizer, state legislator and then as a Senator that he has this uncanny gift to bring people together and lead. He has said over and over again “that there is no red America or blue America, black America or white America, just the United States of America.”
His victories in Iowa, South Carolina and close second in New Hampshire and Nevada suggest that his appeal is not only limited to Democrats but to all of us – Democrats, Republicans and Independents. He is a candidate who transcends party labels, race or gender.
People say he is a hope peddler. But there was no fallacy in wanting to go to the moon. There was no fallacy in Martin Luther King speech “I have a dream”. And definitely there no fallacy in hope to bring us together to lead us in a new direction, All those millions of those who came through Ellis Island and are still coming, America is synonyms with Hope. They all come here with a dream, a vision and hope that some day they make will make it in America.
Sen. Obama brilliant campaign is indicative of this presidency to come. He surrounds himself with best minds out there and the results are unprecedented. His improbable journey could become reality and it shows his brilliance.
People complain about his inexperience in Washington but President Lincoln came to office with limited experience, much less than Sen. Obama – in public office, let along the experience in the Executive Branch. This comparison may be a stretch but we are at historic moment. If the longest resume is indicative of presidency to come then President Buchanan and Vice President Dick Cheney had the longest resume and result speaks for itself.
Carolina Kennedy eloquently wrote in an Op-Ed piece in NY Times “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans.”
I support him because he has a great vision for America. I support him because where he is going to lead us. I support him because the message he will send to the rest of the world. And most importantly, l supports him because I want to leave a better world for our kids then the world we found ourselves in.
To own part of this movement and make history you can join us at Norfolk4Obama@comcast.net, http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/NorfolkForObama.
