Yes, We Have Missed You President Bush!

At the end of President George W. Bush’s eight years in the White House, his popularity had dropped to nearly 29%. Now, a little over five years removed from the Oval Office–and a current president you lacks any sort of credibility–President Bush is seen in a more positive light, with 47% of Americans approving of his leadership. As for the anointed on, just last week a Fox News Poll showed Americans are continually giving up on the President with a Obama 43% approval rating. George W. Bush may not have been a Ronald Reagan, but through tough times he kept our country safe, and proud to be Americans–something we seem to be losing everyday under Barack Obama.

The Teaching Tool of Capitalism

There are many differences from my generation, and the one my father grew up in during the 1950’s and 60’s.  From the technology and music my generation consumes, much has changed in only two generations. But I’ve found that the overarching difference from the baby boomers to the Millennials is the since of entitlement that is displayed amongst my generation.

Growing up in a hardworking class family-and son to a WWII veteran-my father knew that if he wanted something out of life, it would not be handed to him.  Even though my Grandfather- Robert “Sunny” Mitchell Witherspoon Jr.-died when my father was still a teenager, a strong work-ethic, as well as the understanding that the richest man in town was not to be vilified but yet revered, helped my father to become the successful family man he had set out to be.

My father-Michael Alan Witherspoon Sr.-instilled in me these same values.  As I grew up among many with bigger homes and shinier cars, it could have been easy for my father to display a since of jealousy towards those more well off, however he used it as a motivational tool for me.

You see my father never graduated from college, and it was something he always regretted, yet blamed no one but himself. So he made sure I knew how important a college education was, and without one that I’d always be held back from my career goals.

When my father passed away in 2008, I made a promise to myself to finish school; no matter what.  It wasn’t easy, and there was definitely a bump or two along the way, but I always remembered what my father would say “the world doesn’t owe you anything…if you want something bad enough, you can do it, but you’re going to have to work hard for it.”

I continue to live by this motto today, in that it has helped me become successful in my early job career, whereas so many other Millennials continue to blame rich successful businessmen for holding them down, and at the same time beg the government to forgive their student debts as if they didn’t realize they’d have to pay back the thousands of dollars in student loans one day.

This mindset was one of the main reasons Mitt Romney came up short in last year’s presidential election.  The Obama campaign narrative-that painted Gov. Romney as an evil businessman who cared little about others and only about his own personal wealth, during his time as a former venture capitalist for Bain Capital-worked, and it was the Millennials it rang true to the most.

Breaking for Obama by 23 more points than Romney in 2012, the Millennials proved that there has been a definite culture shift in the youth vote (18-29), seeing John Kerry only carried the youth vote by 9 more points than George W. Bush only eight years ago.

Instead of demeaning public figures such as Mitt Romney because he has been a successful businessman, we should look to them as examples of what hard work and personal responsibility can lead to, for if we continue to condemn the institution of capitalism and lean on our government as a crutch-more and more-America will cease to look like the country that others dream to be.

Continuing to Blame Bush

Last night on Hannity, Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York says we don’t have a spending problem, but rather a debt problem thanks to George Bush, seeming to ignore the $6 trillion in new debt President Obama has created.

Obama Hates Guidos?

In 2005 Hurricane Katrina, a category 4, unleashed a savage barrage of lethal flooding and winds. It became the deadliest hurricane since the Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928, with a death toll of 1,833, and one of the most expensive with roughly triple the property damage of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

However, the big story of Hurricane Katrina, and the most covered, was Kanye West’s “Bush Bashing” during a hurricane relief fundraising program. On NBC’s live program “A Concert for Hurricane Relief” Kanye West took the moment to derail fundraising efforts and preach his judicious view on President Bush’s hurricane response management. Mr. West stated on national television that the reason the relief effort in Louisiana was not helping those in need was because “[the military] has been given permission to go down and shoot us” and “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

Hurricane Sandy, a category 1, hit the United States two weeks ago, but as of Saturday there were still 289,239 people without power. Over a quarter of a million people had to live without power in homes, with temperatures below freezing, for almost two weeks. Just yesterday two more people were found dead, raising the total death toll to 85.

The response has been lacking to say the least. The leadership has brought great decisions to the table such as closing FEMA “due to weather” and 1970s style gas rationing throughout New Jersey and New York. The only conclusion I have for this case study of terrible management is “Barack Obama doesn’t care about Guidos.”

Drop the Mike Myers reaction. I think we can all agree that statement is completely bogus. The real cause of this failure to help those in need comes from the fallacy that big government is helpful. Big government isn’t helpful, its the problem. Big government doesn’t bring blankets to those in need, it leaves blankets in Central Park and waits for New York Marathon runners to voluntarily disperse them to those in need. Big government doesn’t get fuel to dying citizens, it waits for an anonymous donor to deliver 8,000 gallons of free gasoline in New York. Big government takes bipartisan photo opts in front of the cameras, while local churches pass out food.

Communities, non-profits, families, and congregations rebuild lives not big government. Local organizations spend their funds more efficiently than the the federal government and understand the issues that plague their local communities. Any person that has called the IRS, waited in line at the DMV, or contacted their congressman knows this to be true. “A Big Storm [Doesn’t] Require Big Government,” big storms require big communities.

“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take everything you have.” – Thomas Jefferson