5 Presents We’d Love To Give Barack Obama For His Birthday
Our president turns 53 today and we wish him a happy birthday. To celebrate his special day, we’d like to give Obama these five gifts:
#1 – The part of the country he doesn’t like
It seems that there is a large swath of the country that President Obama truly doesn’t like: folks who “ cling to guns or religion.” Mr. President, they are Americans too.
So are the people who work hard to build a business and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Doctors who devoted years of their lives to study and learn medicine are not just schemers who – given the chance – would remove a tonsil to make a buck.
It might seem like good politics to divide the country into competing interest groups. It also may make for great soundbites to castigate those who disagree with him. But whether they voted for him or not, he’s the president of all Americans.
Perhaps with this gift, he’ll realize that stirring up resentment and grievances is not leadership, and it certainly isn’t good for the country.
#2 – Milton Friedman’s Capitalism and Freedom
This fifty-year old book reads as if it was written yesterday and the lessons contained therein would be incredibly helpful to the president.
For example: Obama’s oft-stated concerns about education. Friedman’s strong support of vouchers, which would be particularly helpful, would put control of education into parents’ hands and force schools to compete for students.
On racism, the book makes the case that it costs money to discriminate, in that not offering a service to a certain group or refusing to hire based upon race or sex, necessarily puts a business at a disadvantage by limiting opportunity. The impersonal nature of the market is itself a solution to discrimination.
Perhaps most importantly, given the state of our economy, Friedman goes into detail about how government spending and active intervention quell growth and opportunity.
In opposition to Obama’s vision of an ever-larger government that seeks to “help,” Friedman makes an effective case that the government restrain itself to enforcing law and order, property rights, and and a few other essential tasks.
#3 – A spine
There exists a political opposition: Republicans. They were elected by a majority of people in their districts or states and are expected to pursue a legislative agenda in line with their supporters. Generally, their agenda is contrary to that of the president.
This opposition and adversarial relationship is not personal, nor does it have anything to do with skin color, racial background or anything else personal. Reasoned, well-intentioned and good people legitimately disagree on political solutions and policies.
This has always been the case with a two-party system and it always will be. It’s time for the President to stop complaining about it and get over it.
#4 – The ability to govern
It seems that President Obama has been in a virtual campaign for six years. Rather than rolling up his sleeves, sitting down and negotiating with the Republicans, he chooses instead to head off to college campuses, unionized businesses or anywhere else he knows he’ll have a supportive audience.
And what does he do when he gets there? Bashes Republicans. This is not governing, Mr. President, it is campaigning.
#5 – A bit of modesty
Yes, a bit of modesty goes a long way. Truly great leaders are less concerned with who gets the credit (or the blame) than with getting the job done.
Rather than focusing on “I,” “me” and “my” as much as he seems to do, perhaps if President Obama gave credit to others from time to time, particularly the Republicans, he’d find it easier to work with them.
Obviously, there are many more gifts this president could use. Anything else come to mind that we can give him to make his birthday a happy one?
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