Can America survive an Obama
presidency?
Dr. Chuck Ormsby
 Obama’s political
philosophy places our lives, fortunes,
prospects, and liberties in jeopardy.
Obama is wrong on practically every
aspect of economics, from tax policy to
ubiquitous government intervention and
regulation. And he embraces a
“smiley face” foreign policy
that disregards every basic, hard-earned
lesson of history.
Is it possible that America can survive
four years of radical, far-left,
un-American policies with an
inexperienced president who is both
ignorant of history and naïve about
foreign policy? Possibly, but we will
almost certainly pay a very heavy price.
How Obama’s policies will undermine
our economy
Low marginal tax rates and a minimum
regulatory burden are key elements of a
successful economic policy. This
relationship is borne out in every
economic study comparing tax/regulatory
burdens and subsequent economic growth
rates. It is not a claim – it is a
fact.
BIDEN ON OBAMA: “I think
he can be ready, but right now I
don’t believe he is. The presidency
is not something that lends itself to
on-the-job training.” (August 2007
debate) When asked about this statement
at a subsequent debate, Biden reiterated
his view of Obama’s readiness,
saying, “I stand by the
statement.”
Governments do not create wealth
themselves, as socialist experiments have
consistently proven. But they can cause
economic decline by increasing taxes and
regulations, or they can accelerate
economic growth by cutting taxes and
regulations.
So how does Barack Obama measure up on an
“encourage economic prosperity”
scale? Does he support low taxes or seek
to reduce the regulatory impediments to
growth?
No, on all counts. Obama views government
as little more than a mechanism to take
property from some and give it to others
– after the bureaucrats, of course,
get their share of the spoils.
Compare our corporate tax rate with the
average rate imposed by the 29 largest
developed countries outside the U.S. Our
tax rate (almost 40%) is 50 percent
higher than the average of these other
developed countries (see nearby figure
from the Wall Street Journal) and is the
second highest rate behind only Japan.
Ireland, one of the fastest growing
economies, has a corporate tax rate of
only 12.5%.How will this impact the
competitiveness of our economy?
Will it lead to faster economic growth,
or slower growth? More, or fewer U.S.
jobs? Will new investments and jobs come
to America, or disappear overseas?
Other countries have figured this out.
Over the last decade they have lowered
tax rates and, as a result, their
economies have taken off. From Ireland to
the emerging economies of the Pacific
Rim, perceptive leaders are reducing the
burden of government on the private
sector … not increasing it.
Nine of the 29 developed countries have
reduced corporate taxes in just the past
18 months. They want our capital, our
jobs, and our growth.
Obama will see that they get them.
Obama also wants to raise personal tax
rates to over 50 percent while returning
the death tax in 2011 to the obscene
levels that existed a decade before. But
increased taxes are just part of the
Obama economic disaster.
For Obama, if a societal problem cannot
be solved by raising taxes, then the
answer must lie in new regulations,
increased union power, or entitlements.
Don’t we have enough regulations?
Economists understand that complex and
expensive regulations smother small
businesses … the very sector of our
economy that creates the greatest number
of new jobs. But excessive regulations
damage economic growth across the board,
from healthcare to energy. Speaking of
energy, try to drill for oil or build a
refinery or a nuclear plant. Be serious!!
Will Obama’s devotion to teachers
unions provide greater choice,
competition or quality in education for
your children? Will his unwavering
support of trial lawyers lower the cost
of products, healthcare, or insurance
… or just line their pockets at your
expense?
Add Obama’s support of greater
unionization (including taking away the
right of workers to a secret ballot) and
of government healthcare, not to mention
the nightmare of a mandated carbon
trading system, and it will be a miracle
if our economy doesn’t grind to a
halt.
But weakening the U.S. economically
represents less than half the risk of an
Obama presidency.
Why Obama risks our nation’s
existence
We don’t just have economic
competitors, we have real enemies. Evil
regimes, tyrants and terrorists that seek
to conquer or kill us.
Obama doesn’t grasp this or he
believes that our enemies are just
misguided and he can talk some sense into
them.
Hillary on Obama: “Voters will judge
whether living in a foreign country at
the age of ten prepares one to face the
big, complex international challenges the
next President will face. I think we need
a President with more experience than
that.” (November 20 in Shenandoah,
Iowa)
The trouble with Obama’s perspective
is that our enemies are not only evil,
they often are much craftier than we are.
They know we are a well-meaning people
and they understand that we react badly
to American casualties and news reports
of messy suicide bombings.
 It is precisely these
tactics that Al Qaeda and Iranian
terrorists counted on to defeat us in
Iraq. Obama pandered to the political
forces that succumbed to these tactics.
Had we followed his advice, our defeat
would have been assured and Muslim
extremists would have gained a
stranglehold on the entire Gulf region
and, in turn, on Europe. The future of
western civilization hung in the balance
and Obama failed the test. John McCain
ignored political pressures and pointed
the nation in the right direction. We are
safer today because of McCain’s
wisdom and courage.
Barack Obama thinks American foreign
policy can be governed by
“playground rules.” You know,
play nice, hold hands, and no bullying.
If you remember Jimmy Carter, you get the
picture.
If elected, here are Obama’s new
play-mates: Osama bin Laden, Bashar
Assad, Mamoud Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong-il,
Vladimir Putin, Hugo Chavez, and Mullah
Omar … a bunch of really nasty
thugs.
We might as well elect Goldilocks to
teach the Bloods and Crips to turn in
their weapons and stop being such
meanies.
Unfortunately, the stakes are much higher
as evidenced by numerous recent events
such as:
* Underground nuclear testing by North
Korea
* The alliance between North Korea and
Syria to develop nuclear weapons
* The dramatic acceleration of the
Iranian nuclear program
* The testing by Iran of long range,
nuclear-capable missiles and missile
launches from cargo ships putting the
U.S. mainland at risk
* The Russian invasion of U.S. ally
Georgia and nuclear threats against NATO
We live in a very dangerous world and we
cannot afford to place someone, who may
be well intentioned but helplessly
naïve, at America’s helm.
When our enemies strike, they will try
for a knock-out punch. Radical Islamic
regimes such as Iran and Syria - plus
Stalinist regimes such as North Korea -
must be denied nuclear weapons even if it
means a pre-emptive strike by the U.S. or
our allies. And Russia must fully
understand that we will not sit idly by
if they attack or try to intimidate our
allies.
Americans are not aggressors by nature.
We believe in fair play and economic
competition. But our enemies are
aggressors and they believe in the use of
deception and force to get what they
want. Our leaders need to understand
these cold, hard realities and come ready
to defend America’s legitimate
interests.
Obama lacks experience and is critically
deficient in both his understanding of
economics and his appreciation of the
threats we face abroad. If he is elected,
the damage inflicted on our country could
be immense and, most likely,
irreversible.
Let’s not throw away the precious
gifts of freedom and liberty that were
handed down to us by the last dozen
generations. We must preserve them for
our children and future generations.
Remember this when you go to vote on
November 4th.
Dr. Ormsby is a member of the North
Andover School Committee. He is a
graduate of Cornell and has a doctorate
from MIT. You can contact Dr. Ormsby via
email: cormsby@comcast.net
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