In his never-ending political campaign, President Obama chose a strange topic for a speech during a whistle-stop in Jacksonville.
Speaking at JaxPort's cruise terminal in a rambling, Jeremiah Wright-style oration, but without directly damning America, he claimed the economy is booming.
Unmentioned: the recession ended four years ago. This is the weakest, most sluggish recovery ever.
Growth has averaged less than 1 percent per year over the last four years. From 1982 to 2007 it averaged 3.3 percent. The nation is nearly $17 trillion in debt, officially. Toss in the entitlements and the burden on future generations is almost unimaginable.
Disability and food stamp rolls have swollen.
Obama boasted of halving the deficit. That means every year the government has spent far more than it took in but now the overspending has diminished yet still is much higher than the highest deficit that occurred under his predecessor. That's his measure of success?
Obama's speech confirmed that he firmly believes the federal government controls and directs the gigantic American economy. Thankfully, that is not yet the case, although Obama clings to the myth the way he says Americans cling to guns and religion.
Economic decline began in 2006, after voters noted that Republicans in Congress were beginning to act like Democrats and decided they might as well have the real thing. In 2008, liberals gained total dominance. In 2010, worried voters returned control of the House to the lesser of two evils.
While Obama blamed the House for impeding his agenda, the House has passed a lot of good legislation only to see it die in the obstructionist Senate, which now has modified its rules to make the minority even punier.
Obama dwelled on the middle class as if he cared about them. Middle-income Americans still carry a large tax burden and always will under liberalism. Wealthier Americans pay far more than their fair share but could not pay it all even if the government took 100 percent, which liberals would be happy to do.
How much is enough?
Economist Thomas Sowell put it best by asking: ... what is your 'fair share' of what someone else has worked for?"
Lloyd Brown was in the newspaper business nearly 50 years, beginning as a copy boy and retiring as editorial page editor of the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. After retirement he served as speech writer for Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
