We Need Smarter Americans

The commercial said we need smarter energy grids. We need smarter cities. We need smarter everything. Frankly, we need smarter Americans.

Our fellow citizens are so riddled with short attention spans that the cult of the celebrity is dominant. Entertainment shows are treated as news shows. Viewers actually have claimed to receive the bulk of their current events coverage from shows like Jon Stewart's and the one hosted by Stephen Colbert. Sad but true.

Recently, NASA allowed write in suggestions in a contest to name a room of the new international space station. Four choices were given by the agency and then Stephen Colbert instructed his minions to write in his name as a selection. They did and now the name "Colbert" is shown as the winner of the contest. NASA reserves the right to overrule the stupid public choice.

Candidate Obama knew the intoxicating effects of celebrity on the American voter. He was the celebrity in the presidential race. Stages were crafted, teleprompters were packed, chants were issued to crowds, and two autobiographies were written by the politician. It takes a certain size of ego to write two books all about yourself before the age of 45. Two books about the wonder that is you. All show, no go.

Obama encouraged the comparison to Abe Lincoln, both announcing candidacy in Springfield. The absurdity escaped the shallow thinker - the majority of voters - and the fawning began. Lincoln was the first Republican president, after all. Obama is a far left liberal Democrat. Abe Lincoln was a native son of Illinois. Obama came to Illinois via Hawaii, Indonesia, California and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The problem with an ego too large is that the person believes the publicity. Humility leaves and is replaced with arrogance. Slowly, the very people so public in support of candidate Obama, so willing to swallow such shallow promises of "hope and change" as though every election is not based on those two objectives, are now waking to the reality of the man. The latest Zogby poll, for example, shows a 50/50 end result when respondents are asked to rate the new President's performance so far in office. Just two weeks ago, Obama's numbers were in the 70% approval area. And, Zogby polling is known to lean left.

Shallow Americans looked beyond the lack of qualifications of the candidate Obama and simply believed in his ability to deliver a stirring speech - on teleprompter - and ignored the stammering human answering questions in informal settings. Shallow Americans looked beyond the absence of any experience whatsoever in decision making at the executive level and voted for the candidate with the least experience of all running, at a time of national crisis. Shallow Americans looked beyond the last of the Vietnam vets to run for President promising to handle the war on terror with military experience and confidence and instead voted for a defeatist who publicly chastised the General who won the war in Iraq using counter-terrorism strategy written himself. Shallow Americans believed government programs and the promises of all things for all people would actually work in a free republic. Self interests over love of country ruled election day.

Campaign promise after promise has now been broken. There are blogs written listing the daily blunders of this new administration. Voters were promised such integrity, transparency and a new way of business in D.C. Even in the area of national defense, for which many of the far left voted for Obama the great diplomat, the Bush appointee Bob Gates remains. For now. Gates said he'll stay a year but makes no further commitment beyond that. Gates is a patriot. The bad guys are laughing at our new administration.

When candidate Obama was running, he was the second top candidate to receive campaign contributions from AIG - Chris Dodd being number one. Both men now feign ignorance of any involvement. The Obama staff were so insistent that the largest spending bill ever in U.S. history be passed by a vanity target date that legislators didn't even read it before voting on it. How convenient for Obama and his agenda. Now, while all the ginned up hostility against a company like AIG generates all the news coverage, many dangerous moves are made in the White House as the public is distracted. That is the plan. Targeted 100% taxing? Census bureau manipulation in the West Wing? Close Gimo with no plan for the inmates? Write a letter to the former leader of France instead of the current one and pledge allegiance? Flim-flam on jobs created and those "saved"? Hold weekly cocktail parties for the Washington elite in the White House? Issue an order to staff for a weekly campaign style event outside of Washington to continue a nonstop re-election campaign? Doom and gloom on the economy for two years then overnight understand that presidental tone makes a difference and do a complete flip, expecting consumers to be optimistic?

Wake up, America. Read a history book. Form an independent opinion. Grow up.