Poor Leadership, Bad Math and UnvoteDear Mark: President Obama announced that he will host a jobs summit in December to figure out how to get people back to work. This shows true leadership and reaffirms why I voted for his hope and change. Isn't putting together leaders from small businesses, large businesses, labor unions and nonprofits a good idea? — Jobs, Jobs in Joplin Dear Jobs: This is a good idea if you are putting together a forum for the business department of a university, but we are talking about the president of the United States. Maybe my standards are a bit high, but I kind of expect the leader of the most powerful nation in the world to at least have a fundamental idea of how real jobs are created. On second thought, a jobs summit might be a good idea for this president, considering the infamous $787 billion stimulus he signed into law is failing miserably. Do you remember at the beginning of his administration when President Obama told the American people that if the stimulus package was not passed immediately unemployment could reach the unbelievable rate of 8 percent? Well with his "recovery package" in place, unemployment now sits at 10.2 percent and could be headed higher. The current state of affairs proves that the so-called leadership Barack Obama promised during the campaign was all sizzle and no steak. Candidate Obama claimed he had a plan for Afghanistan, yet while our brave military men and women continue to be killed he still has not produced a winning strategy. Candidate Obama claimed he had a plan to reform health care, but the version he will eventually sign will be written by Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Candidate Obama claimed he had a plan to fix the economy, and the failed stimulus package he championed was once again written by Pelosi and Reid. President Obama closed Guantanamo on paper, but once again he has no plan as to what to do with the prisoners who are some of the most dangerous men in the world.
Dear Mark: President Obama says he wants spending cuts for the next budget. He says he is aware of the damage the national debt could do to the economic recovery. Has he finally heard us? — Budget Conscious in Connecticut Dear Budget: Oh, yeah, he heard us all right. He heard that his Democrat support in Congress might be history if he doesn't at least act concerned with the huge budget deficits and national debt during an election year. The current budget deficit is $1.42 trillion, compared to the 2008 budget shortfall of $407 billion, and President Obama is proposing spending freezes or cuts of up to 5 percent. Let me get this straight, the budget deficit goes up 300 percent, while the president's proposal is a measly 5 percent. As my math teachers used to say, "Mr. Levy, something just doesn't add up." Dear Mark: The New Oxford American Dictionary's 2009 word of the year is "unfriend," as in removing a friend on Facebook. Isn't this just a little ridiculous? — Facebook Friend in French Lick Dear Facebook: Ridiculous, no; waste of time, maybe. I will nominate the word "unvote" for word of the year, as in why don't you independents and mushy Republicans unvote your vote for Obama to help straighten out our country. Dear Mark is a public platform for your enrichment and entertainment. E-mail your questions to marklevy92@aol.com. To find out more about Mark Levy, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS.COM
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