Words of Wisdom from Bob Poris

The following consists of two brief essays by my friend, Bob Poris, who is one of those truly wise older men!  He's been around a long time and he's seen it all.  A veteran of WWII [he was wounded and partially disabled], he loves his country and works hard to understand the situation we are in and to suggest possible ways to turn things around for the betterment of all. 


Today’s paper contains some nasty comments about Obama’s lack of foreign policy knowledge, etc and somehow making Russia the"mover and shaker".

I would have thought those who write such stuff would have been happy that the agreement with Russia relative to Syria's chemical weapons moves Russia into the role of trying to help solve the problem of poison gas, which must be a danger to them in Chechnya and other areas with Muslim populations. I guess the same critics do not know of that danger to the Russians. I believe Obama does, because he has advisors that he listens to.  

So far since Obama was elected, two wars have been essentially stopped; neither of which were started or screwed up by him.  Bin Laden is dead, after getting a free pass from the previous administration for years as no longer important. Drones were increased and hundreds of Jihadists have met their maker.  Syria, North Korea and Iran remain dangerous but have not threatened us any more than they did before Obama became president.

That brings us to the Russians: they existed before Obama and were always a problem at the UN and elsewhere, particularly since Putin took over. If we remember, Bush looked into Putin’s soul through his eyes and declared him trustworthy.  

I guess the critics forget anything that went on before Obama. I wonder why they hadn’t changed the status of all our enemies and problems when they had total control of all three branches of government for eight years. They inherited a solid economy, a huge surplus and peace. They left a terrible world when they were through and the same people are still screwing up because they lost two elections to a better man; one who works to solve problems not create new ones. 

I have no clue as to how the Syrian situation will actually work out, but at least it has some chance of improving as of this morning’s news.

Obama deserves a lot of credit.  He has managed to reduce the national debt, save us from another Great Depression, stabilize a bad employment situation, end two wars and initiate a plan to provide health insurance for all Americans.  And he did this without any input or assistance from the Republicans.  In fact, the Republicans have fought every one of his initiatives.  Today they remain intent upon repealing Obamacare, without providing any other options!  If the law is flawed, it can be fixed more easily than getting rid of it.

I hope the critics would try to see some good over the past few years and try to make things better. No administration is perfect but all must try to do good. That is why they are in office.  Ninety-nine percent of the population is in trouble. They are the ones who could use some help.

* * * * 

Because of our recalcitrant Congress the Sequester is still with us and still doing the sort of damage the Republicans designed it to do if Congress could not solve the economic problem.  Both Houses of Congress agreed on draconian cutbacks across the board, rather than selected cuts if needed. This was a huge failure by our elected officials and the damaging punishment became law. It is hurting our military, our remaining war efforts, our economy, poor people, and those myriads of programs that help some people live!

Here in Marion county [Florida], we have school-aged children living in cars and shelters with their parents, because the latter lost their jobs and homes through no fault of their own. Our unemployment is still hovering around 7% and much of it is long term with no real hope in sight. Our charities struggle to obtain sufficient donations to feed people in need but consistently are unable to meet their goals. Our politicians refuse to increase taxes and our governor refuses federal assistance which would be a huge help in many areas of need.

We rarely see pictures of suffering people who come in all colors, religions, ethnicities, educational levels, previous employment history, etc. Unless we know some personally, they are not visible, even though our relatively upscale community does have foreclosures too. Out of sight, out of mind still applies.

It is sad that Congress can rally to try to defund Obama's healthcare plan forty times, but still cannot find solutions to help the needy or create jobs by addressing needed repairs to bridges, roads and other areas of infrastructure.  Perhaps we should take away the politician's cafeteria, barbershop, gym, and free parking.  Would the savings feed a few people or not?  It would be worth a try.

Some of our representatives tell us we are a Christian nation, but somehow fail to tell us what that means to the people suffering due to their lack of action.

The middle-class is disappearing.  I do not know what will be the fate of the next generation, but it doesn't look good unless we find better ways to address real problems. Ignoring them will not make them go away.