First of all let me lead by saying that I pray for our President, our Congress, our Supreme Court, and our nation as a whole. I want the best for our country and realize that "best" is often hotly debated.
Let me also say that these are questions that I have as a citizen of these United States and should be taken as such.
Things that made me go hmmm tonight in President Obama's speech. They are honest questions that came to mind during the speech and I invite your responses.
- How do you not want to punish banks but then also want to charge them a fee for what was offered? Even when some of them weren't allowed to pay back funds for a period of time? And won't these banks simply pass along the fees to its customers?
- How do you propose a spending freeze beginning in 2011 while encouraging a jobs (read stimulus) bill and health care bill that will become part of what won't be frozen to be passed before the freeze?
- How do you encourage banks to lend money to small businesses "some of which are making money" while at the same time telling banks to avoid risky loans?
- Is the Executive Branch calling out the Judicial Branch in the midst of the Legislative Branch appropriate given our system of checks and balances? And is calling for new legislation to override what they just ruled not an abuse of those checks and balances?
- How can you want to work in a bipartisan manner when you basically say to your opposition party that if they oppose your party's plan then they aren't leading. Especially when the very people you're addressing haven't been allowed to speak into the legislation you're berating them for?
- How can you tell banks to practice responsible lending when you're telling them that borrower's won't have to practice responsible borrowing? Student's won't have to repay their student loans after 20 or 10 years and won't be required to pay more than a certain percentage of their income?
- How can you talk about reforming earmarks when you passed a spending bill rife with them and when you're doling out special favors to states whose senator's vote you need and to labor unions whose support you need?
- When do you accept responsibility for the job you stepped in to and not play the victim for what you inherited? Seriously, we understand what the previous administration left but we don't want to live on the excuses of the past... let's instead focus on what is going to strengthen our future.
- When you speak of immigration and point out that you want to help those who are here and doing the right things, does that include only those who got here the right and legal way or does it just mean those who are here and doing things the right way now?
- How can you understand and so eloquently articulate the strength of America being her people, their generosity, resolve, and overall character and at the same time say the solution to our most pressing problems reside in government instead of the very people who give the country her strength?
- How can you blame banks for making loans they were required by law to issue per the Community Reinvestment Act and its revisions over time?
- How does the country respond throughout this year and especially in the coming elections?
