Giving Thanks

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving Day.  It is a time to be together with family and to remember all the people and things for which I am thankful.    I try always to remember my many blessings, but Thanksgiving Day provides me with a special occasion to reflect on my blessings and to express thanks for them.  Thanksgiving Day is more relaxing and less stressful than Christmas Day, and it takes a lot less preparation, even for those who are responsible for preparing the Thanksgiving meal.  

We are currently living through the most difficult and stressful economic climate in my lifetime.   All of us are facing economic uncertainty and insecurity, especially those who are unemployed or retired, those who fear they may soon be unemployed, and those who were looking forward to a retirement that now seems impossible because of their shrinking nest eggs.   It is especially important during these times to keep our lives in perspective.   Accordingly, I would like to share with you the following ten things for which I am especially thankful:  

(1)    My large and growing family, including my wife Ann, my three children and their spouses, my six grandchildren, my brother and two sisters and Ann’s brothers, and all of their families, 17 nieces and nephews (several of whom now have their own children), my cousins and Ann’s cousins and their families, and all others who are part of our extended family. 

(2)    My parents and Ann’s parents, who during their lives provided us with unconditional love, who sacrificed for our benefit and our education, and who taught us many things, including love for God and country, the need to assume individual and personal responsibility for our lives, the importance of working hard and saving for a rainy day, the difference between right and wrong, and the values we share and hope we have passed along to our children. 

(3)    My brother Mike, who died in 2001 at age 48, and Ann’s brother Sam, who died this year at age 58, both of whom enriched our lives during their short lives. 

(4)    My faith, which has become increasingly important to me as I have aged and had more time to think about the true meaning of life. 

(5)    The privilege of being born and of living in the United States of America, the greatest country on earth and a country that, despite its faults, continues to attract many people from other countries who want to live here and continues to retain its most vocal critics who apparently cannot think of anywhere else they would prefer to live. 

(6)    President Bush and our other national leaders and the members of our military, intelligence services and police departments who have protected this country from terrorism since September 11, 2001, despite harsh and unrelenting criticism from many who have benefitted from their efforts, and in the face of continued terrorist attacks throughout other parts of the world. 

(7)    Employers and entrepreneurs who are willing to assume the responsibility and take the risk of starting and managing businesses in order to provide employment and economic opportunities for themselves and others, and all of those who voluntarily share  their time or wealth, or both, to help others.  

(8)    My education and my career, which provided me with intellectual stimulation, a wide variety of interesting and challenging experiences, and an appreciation for the difficulty of managing a successful business, and my many mentors along the way who provided me with the counsel, training, and encouragement.  

(9)    The many friends I have known and enjoyed throughout the years, including those with whom I no longer have contact or have only limited contact, and including many friends from my church who have been part of my life for more than 30 years. 

(10)    My mind, which may not be as sharp as it used to be but which still provides me with the opportunity to grow and learn new things, and my good health, which so far has given me the opportunity to act like I am younger than I am.   

Early Impressions of Obama

President-elect Barak Obama must be doing something right because the far-left radical arm of the Democratic Party is already upset with him.    The radicals who supported Obama and helped him get elected are complaining that his Cabinet appointments represent more of the same rather than change.  They are also complaining that Obama may delay his promised tax increases on the evil rich because of fears that a tax increase would cause further problems for an already badly damaged economy.   In my opinion, these early complaints about Obama should be taken with a grain of salt because the people who are complaining about him would not be happy if Karl Marx himself was running the country.   The complaints give me some hope that Obama is not going to cater to the radicals who were among his initial supporters.

Of course, the far-right conservatives are also complaining about Obama.   There is probably nothing Obama could do to please people like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.   In all likelihood, they will instinctively object to everything Obama says or does just as many Democrats have spent the last eight years objecting to everything said or done by President Bush. 

If you have been reading this blog, you know I did not support Obama during his campaign for President because I disagreed with him on most of the major issues.   I felt then—and still do—that the positions on which Obama based his campaign would lead the country further down the road to socialism and would result in slower economic growth, fewer new jobs, and higher unemployment.   I disagreed—and still do—with Obama’s basic philosophy of “spreading the wealth around.”                      

Although I did not support Obama, I am somewhat reassured by the steps he has taken since winning the election.   He appears to be surrounding himself with well-qualified advisers who are practical and pragmatic rather than ideological.    He appears to realize that some of his campaign promises may need to be delayed if not forgotten as a result of the current economic environment.    Early indications suggest that Obama is going to make an effort to govern in a bipartisan manner and to reach out to those who opposed him.   To me, all of these signs are encouraging. 

I like Obama’s selection of Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury and Lawrence Summers as Chairman of the White House’s National Economic Council.    Summers, who himself is a former Treasury Secretary, has been a mentor for Geithner, so the two should work well together.   As the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Geithner has been heavily involved in the Bush Administration’s efforts to deal with the current meltdown in the financial markets, and he has worked closely with Henry Paulson, the current Treasury Secretary, and with Ben Bernanke, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board.   As a result, Geithner’s selection as the new Treasury Secretary ensures continuity and a smooth transition.   Both Geithner and Summers are described as pragmatic centrists rather than liberal ideologues.  

Now consider the rumors that Obama will appoint Hilary Clinton as the next Secretary of State.   I have never been a fan of Bill or Hilary Clinton.  In fact, I start feeling a little nauseous when either one of them is mentioned.  Nevertheless, I think Obama would be making a brilliant move if he names Hilary as his Secretary of State.   He would be taking his biggest political rival in the Democratic Party and making her a part of his Administration, where she will not be able to criticize him.   In addition, Hilary is already well-known throughout the world, and her foreign policy philosophy is much more moderate that Obama’s, which would mean that Obama again would be moving to the center rather than to the left by naming Hilary as Secretary of State.     

Finally, there are rumors that Obama will retain Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.  Again, this would be another smart move on Obama’s part.   Gates has done an excellent job as Secretary of Defense.  Retaining him in the same position would ensure continuity at a time when the country is engaged in two wars.    Republicans would have a difficult time criticizing this decision. 

I am not so happy with some of the other rumors that are circulating about Obama’s Cabinet, including the rumor that former Senator Tom Daschle will become Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the rumor that Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano will become Secretary of the Homeland Security Department.   I still have a bad taste in my mouth from Daschle’s non-stop whining when he was Senate Minority Leader, and it is hard for me to believe that Gov. Napolitano is the most qualified person to be in charge of Homeland Security.   But I can’t expect to be pleased with everyone on Obama’s team. 

It is inevitable that Obama is going to disappoint a lot of people during the next four years.   He will disappoint those on the far left who will not be happy until the government owns and runs everything, capitalism is dead, and everyone is equally miserable.   He will disappoint conservatives who will watch helplessly as the government they think should be smaller gets larger.   He will disappoint those who think he is the messiah with magical powers to feed the hungry, heal the sick (or at least provide them with free healthcare), end all wars, and bring about everlasting peace.   And he will even disappoint members of the news media who have already honored him as one of the nation’s greatest presidents even before his first day in office. 

As for me, I can only say I am pleasantly surprised with most of the decisions made by Obama up to this point.   Don’t get me wrong.   I am still don’t know who Obama really is or what he really thinks, and it is still hard for me to believe the citizens of the United States of America have elected a President about whom we know so little.   Based on his background and history, and based on words from his own mouth, I still believe Obama shares a far-left ideology, and I still believe some of his proposed policies, if implemented, would be very detrimental to the country.  I know I will disagree with many things Obama does during the next four years.   At this very early point, however, I have to admit that my worst fears have not been realized so far.    I hope I will be able to say the same thing four years from now.