Goodbye W........Hello....Obama.....

Well it is January 19th, the final day of the "W" Presidency. In reflection, could we have had a better President after being attacked on 9/11? I think not. And like or dislike "W"'s tenure, there are some things we must admire and respect and be thankful for as the sun sets on his terms in office.

1. We have not been attacked since 9-11. The fact remains that President Clinton did a lot of damage to our intelligence capabilities, and that attitude weakened us to the point of being attacked on our own soil. That is not to say that we would not have been attacked during the Bush years, but we should be thankful "W" was the guy in charge on that horrific day.

2. We pay less in taxes today than we did 8 years ago. We have President Bush to thank for that, and it is an accomplishment we are likely, in the next 4 years, to realize the true impact of on our lives.

3. "W" stood on his principles and never wavered. Agree or disagree with his principles, you can not find fault in a man believing what he thinks is right and standing up for those beliefs. Obama has already shown he not the man "W" is, having already gone back on campaign promises, before he has even taken the oath of office!

However, "W" had a Republican led Congress from 2000 - 2006 and all he managed to do was prove himself, and the rest of those in Congress, to be fiscal Liberals, spending our country into an enormous debt burden AND turning a blind or ignorant eye to what Congress and the Liberals were doing with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The hard fact of the matter is, the government has no right owning and running what could and should be private companies. EVERYTHING else the government touches gets screwed up.....why would we want them dealing in mortgages?

So, "W" will be remembered as the President who was in office when the fiscal crisis started. He will be remembered for keeping us safe from attack, no matter what else happened. And the what else is a recession.

Which brings us to the impending Obama presidency. Barack Obama is about to become my President. And when he does the right thing, he will have my support. When he does the wrong thing, I will turn on him faster than the American public turned on President Bush.

Mr. Obama is faced with challenges. But every President is, that's part of the gig! Don't be misled by him or the media and all of the doom and gloom they report, trying to make you feel even worse so that they increase the chances of Obama looking like the savior and rescuing us all from the big bad conservatives.

The facts are, our best chance is for President Obama to act like a fiscal conservative. Saying no to the cronies in the Democrat party who are licking their chops as they get ready to call in ALL of the favors they have done for our new President.

Mr. Obama needs to, and there are rumblings he just might:

1. Lower taxes. EVEN for businesses!!!!! Lower taxes always have been and always will be a key cog in economic growth.
2. Force government to do more with less. None among us wants to see our fellow Americans suffer. But things like extended unemployment benefits must be met with even greater spending cuts in other areas.
3. Forego this infrastructure building plan. All economists know and understand that moving money from business, where permanent and sustainable job creation happens, to government programs where the jobs last only as long as it takes to build the bridge or pave the road, is purely a redistribution of wealth from the private sector (business) to the public sector (government).

Government CAN NOT do for us what we must do for ourselves. Until we come to that realization, we are in for tougher times and less prosperity than what we have known heretofore. We must, on the eve of this most amazing events in American history (and you had better believe I am proud that this country, MY America, has looked beyond the color of a man's skin to elect him to be our leader), remember that our government is not what has made our country great. Our LACK of government interference and our insistence on personal responsibility, capitalism, free enterprise, and our amazing and uniquely American qualities are what makes America the envy of the world.

So on this January day, with kudos and criticism I bid farewell to President George W Bush, and with cautios trepidation I welcome as my new President, OUR new President, Barack Obama. Mr. Obama, good luck, conservative principles, and Godspeed.