600 days later, what have we learned.

This weekend will mark 600 days since Barack Obama was elected as the forty fourth President of the United States. So, what have we learned about the man since that shiny, happy day in November 2008?

President Obama does hold one rock solid belief. What exactly does the President believe in? He believes in the power of government.

Whenever there is a choice between the private sector and government, the private sector loses. No matter what the problem is, the solution must be more government. Even if government created the problem, the solution is more of the same. Unless we are talking about the military. That type of government is bad, and kept in check at all times. It seems to be only form of government the President does not believe in.

Name your crisis, from the economy to the gulf oil spill, the President will always reach for the same tool in his toolbox. It is obvious government is the only tool in his toolbox; because it is the only one he knows how to use. The problem, as everyone outside of Washington and faculty lounges knows, is government is not a very effective tool. The larger the agency, the less able it is to adapt, learn, or even function in some instances.

Most of us know this instinctively. If you own a business, you could probably go on for several hours retelling stories of bureaucratic nightmares, red tape triplicate, and higher fees to support the ever-growing sea of cubicles. The President has no experience with the private sector, except as a source for campaign cash and tax revenue. If he did, he would know the only way out of this recession is private sector jobs. When you see growth in small business payrolls for three or four months in a row, that is when you will see the economy turn around.

For those of us who tried to explain this back in 2008, the current stream of never ending bad news is not surprising, in fact, we predicted it. If you never started a new business, made a payroll, or tried to figure out if you have enough money to pay your quarterly taxes, you are going to be painfully ignorant about the very engine of the American economy. We are paying the price for that ignorance right now.

I know many of my friends who voted for President Obama tell me this is still all Bush's fault and I should give the guy a chance. I guess I have to sit back and watch the President borrow and spend our children and grandchildren’s futures to pay for the one-size-fits-all solution that is bigger and bigger government. No thanks, if we start now, we might be able to turn this ship around. It all starts in November, which means it we need to get moving today.