Something to Anticipate

Many years ago there was a refrain about the pay of a young man in the Army that went: “Twenty one dollars a day; once a month.”

Based on the efforts of our illustrious commander-in-chief, this may become the situation once again.

President Barrack Obama says he wants to cut the military back to where it was before World War II.

Really?

Not that long ago your chronicler, after watching Fearless Leader in action, made a suggestion that the wise investor should put his money into white flags and black arm bands.

At the time it was said in jest. Today it looks like sound advise.

Now that President Obama has squandered a huge chunk of the national treasure on himself and his family, he believes that this is a good time to cut back on expenses. And one place he has in mind is with America's armed forces.

His current plan is to cut the military back to where it was before World War II, the present situation in the world notwithstanding. He tells the electorate that America needs to save money. Oh?

Never mind that he spent $8 million taxpayer dollars on a family vacation in Hawaii in 2013. We need to cut our spending, he says.

With prudent spending of our tax dollars in mind, he took a comfortable golf outing in 2015; that put us back a tidy $3 million.

Or, a presidential trip to Africa, that cost us about $2.2 million.

And what about the First Family's 2013 visit to Ireland, to the tune of nearly $8 million?

But, don't stop there. The First Family spends the taxpayers' dollar with wild abandon. Judicial Watch, and other prudent critics, reveal that despite Mr. Obama's desire to pare down military expenditures, he doesn't mind spending the taxpayers' money freely on himself, and his family.

The Washington crowd has long spent freely from the public purse, but Mr. Obama has set a record—as it relates to the First Family.

But, the poor old dog face GI; that's another story. National defense, he seems to feel, is just a waste of the taxpayers' dollar. And what does it matter; he got his.

The folks who elected him—and those who didn't—can well worry now about how we'll keep the wolf away from our door.

The “Old Timers” have seen a lot!

Most residents at your average “old folks home” have seen a lot of Presidents come and go in the White House.

Some may remember Warren Harding, whose term ended in 1923; and others may recall Calvin Coolidge in the White House, whose term ending in 1929, when Herbert Hoover entered the picture. Your humble scribe can fall into that category, although memories of Mr. Hoover are absent. Recollections here begin with Franklin Delano Roosevelt who, as the years passed, seemed to be on the verge of becoming a permanent resident in the White House.

After FDR's death in 1945, a Missouri haberdasher Harry S. Truman moved in, as many Americans held their breath, since not much was expected of this little man. Did they get fooled. Much to the surprise of many, Harry Truman turned out to be one of our best commanders in chief, while the World War II hero who succeeded him turned out to be better at golf than as a president. Ike did all right, but that was about the extent of his presidency; which was followed by a brief visit to Camelot with John F. Kennedy, whose assassination in 1963; plunged America into the Lyndon Johnson presidency, which was followed by Richard M. Nixon's disastrous tenure; then a short visit to the White House by Gerald Ford, next the almost embarrassing chapter of Jimmy Carter's presidency, cardigan sweater and all.

Ronald Reagan brought us back to reality with a stellar presidency and the resurgence of America as a country of stature. George Herbert Walker Bush then presided over the short dust up in the Middle East, followed by Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky—that was a black eye for the American presidency. This was followed by George Bush, the son, and our present state of affairs in the Middle East, now bungled by apologist Barack Obama, whose second term will soon be over—thank God for the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

And now America is plunged into the present presidential election, which is destined to surpass all the rest for bringing disgrace to the U.S. Presidency and the process that surrounds it.

If the present debacle does nothing else, it will have brought disgrace to the process and is likely to end up filling the office with a president who no one wants.

One wonders if Great Britain would be interested in taking us back as a Crown Colony?

Likely not.

Mr. Obama sure isn't.