The Idiocy of Youthful Idealism

Lately I’ve been listening to some young people discuss President Obama. They sounded so idealistic and enthusiastic about our President. It makes me want to slap them silly until they get some sense and see what really is happening in our country. Now some of you might say that I am acting like an old grump complaining about the youth of today and forgetting what it was like to be young. Not true. When I was in my 20s I was as politically conservative as I am today and even helped to campaign for Reagan.

As for today’s youngest voters, first, they should be applauded for actually voting. Too many of their generation opt out entirely from the election process. So even if they voted stupidly, er, for Obama, these 20 somethings should at least be proud that they did vote. And yes, I know, if they had stayed at home then that would mean fewer votes for Obama. However, the win margin was so great that even without their votes Obama would have still won so I can afford to be magnanimous and congratulate them for voting. Actually it is this kind of sneaky thinking that doesn’t yet occur to young people. Unfortunately politicians are masters of this type of attitude and behavior and President Obama is the Grand Master of it all.

Obama cloaks himself in secrecy, lies and doubletalk and is surrounded by people almost as good as he in manipulating others; Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Rahm Emanuel just to name a few. Between them, they are creating a legacy that at first glance appears to be one of helping anyone with middle and lower incomes at the expense of those with higher incomes. They are making his campaign promise come true - to share the wealth, which sounds great to everyone except the wealthy and of course businessmen who make profits and everyone on Wall Street. But these “fat cats” as Obama calls them can afford to be hit up for some money to help others, right? Oh my, there are so many things wrong with this that I get dizzy trying to think where to start. How do you begin to explain to young people who are still enamored with Obama and believe that all capitalists are immoral and making a profit is bad that they are wrong and the path Obama is taking our country is reprehensible?

I might be saved from having to explain anything if I just wait and let them discover it for themselves. In fact, I think they are about to be in for some big shocks. None have seen past the razzle dazzle promoted by President Obama and his team to take the time to understand what he proposes actually means. Take the national health care bill, for example. I heard one young women gush over our President and how this was why she voted for him, because he cares about the poor and those without health care. It was her next sentence that got to me for she then added that she can’t afford to get that health insurance but she feels relieved to know it is there for when she can afford it. Excuse me? Didn’t she read the small print? Didn't she listen to any of the nearly daily speeches the president made about health care? Obviously not.

This woman didn’t have a clue how this national health care was going to work. Yes I agree that it is a nice gesture to now have health care for everyone. But she must not have read the small print – health care insurance will not be an option - it will be a requirement in this country. Once this bill goes into effect, if she still can’t afford the offered health care insurance then she probably won't be able to afford the tax Obama will impose on people without any health insurance. I am sure as hell that she will not be happy when she does her income taxes and realizes that she will be hit with a hefty tax instead. It is infuriating that this young woman and the millions like her can’t see the unfairness of this new bill and it may take our Supreme Court to decide if it is even legal to require our citizens to buy health insurance. And yet until the reality of this bill hits this young adult, they will still think Obama walks on water.

Another young Obama enthusiast recently discussed how the President has kept his taxes down. He was actually referring to Obama’s decision to keep President Bush’s lower taxes but I knew it would be useless to point this out to him. I know that he, too, will be in for a shock come the first tax day after Obama has removed Bush’s lower taxe rates and the young man will see how much he now owes in taxes thanks to our current President. But no one that age would listen to me if I said that the current lower taxes are due to President Bush since they can't see past their hatred of him.

As much as these young people love Obama they despise Bush. I have a theory about that. These young adults were children and teens during 9-11. It was a scary time for everyone and must have been even more upsetting for children. It would be only natural for them to look up to our new president and during those early days President Bush did seem nearly heroic. The image of him standing next to the construction workers at the sight of the fallen towers shouting that we will be heard was exhilarating as were the early days of the Afghanistan war. But then the war dragged on and on and the initial heat of revenge cooled off as we found ourselves in a long drawn out war. Between the war, the 2004 election and the economy Bush went from hero to zero in the eyes of the young. And no one can be as judgmental and cruel as a young person who becomes disillusioned with an adult they had once admired. I should know. I was once a young Republican for Nixon.

For the time being, other than this article, I am going to keep quiet when I hear further outrageous remarks from the young people. Besides, I am not sure there is anything I could say that would change their mind. Only time and experience can make them understand what is really happening. I just hope we have the time for them to get the experience which would open their eyes to what Obama is doing to America.