I doubt I will be granted an interview with the President, but I do have some questions. In the past I have come up with questions on Iraq and questions on Abortion for him but still no interview granted. It must be because of my liberal leanings. I kinda feel bad for him so as Obama gets grilled on The View today I thought I would be nice and throw some soft balls. Here they are.
Immigration
You recently appointed former Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt to coordinate state and local activities for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In Houston and in Phoenix before that he was very vocal about his opposition to this illegal immigration enforcement policy. If you were serious about enforcing our immigration laws, why would you appoint Hurtt to this position?
You and your Attorney General blasted the law before you even read it saying you would challenge its constitutionality. How do you expect the American people to trust any decision that is made on the law when you have shown an obvious bias before even reading it?
Reports are showing that illegal residents are leaving the state of Arizona in the days leading up to the implementation of the new law. The intent of the new law is obviously already working before it has even been enacted. Why are you continuing to fight it? If you care about cracking down on illegal immigration, why do you not use it as a model at the national level?
Healthcare
You continue to promote your healthcare legislation as a good thing for small business. If that is the case, then why has the National Federation of Independent Businesses (the leading small business association representing small and independent businesses) filed a federal lawsuit challenging the new law?
During the fight to pass your healthcare legislation, you argued that the individual mandate was not a tax. You even went as far as argue with the written definition of a tax from the dictionary (as read to you by George Stephanopoulos). Your administration is now arguing that the mandate is a tax to avoid attacks that it is unconstitutional. Which is the case? Did you lie to the American people when you said you would not impose new taxes on those making under $250,000 or did you lie when you told the American people the mandate was not a tax?
The Medicare and Medicaid system is broken and unsustainable. How does adding millions more to the roles of these programs (which is what your legislation does) going to fix these problems? Aren’t you just shifting the costs and not fixing the problems with the system?
Both the CBO and the CMS say that the new legislation will not bend the long term cost curve of health care, but instead increase the government’s burden. Would you like to recant your statement to the American people that your legislation will help stem rising health care costs?
You are a proponent of the single payer system (from your campaign website). Other countries such as Canada and Great Britain are now realizing that their centralized systems are not sustainable and are looking to de-centralize them. Why are we emulating their mistakes instead of learning from them?
Gulf Oil Spill
In February BP notified the regulatory agency in charge of the well that they were having problems. Why did the government not act upon these initial reports?
Approximately 10 days before the accident, your regulators inspected the well and gave it a passing grade. Obviously regulations were in place, but your administration did not enforce them. Why then do you think more regulation will prevent future accidents?
Some evidence was recently released showing that the government’s reaction to the rig fire (specifically the Coast Guard) may have caused the rig to sink, thus causing the leak. Will this change your mind on funding cuts to the Coast Guard?
There seems to be a lack of leadership with the spill clean-up. It’s more like mass confusion. Why did you not immediately go to the Louisiana coast to offer that leadership and ensure that the bureaucratic red tape that is hampering the clean up efforts was removed? Why do you not do that now.
Within days of the spill, as many as 13 countries offered their help to clean up the oil. Why did you refuse this help for 70 days (your refusal to lift the Jones Act)?
Along these same lines, why did you wait over a month to approve emergency permits to build barrier islands to protect the coast? By the time your approval came, oil had already reached the coast.
The oil drilling ban you have implemented is costing America thousands of jobs already and is only causing more job losses the longer it is in place. Businesses, both small and large, have urged you lift the ban. So has the oil spill commission that you put into place. There are other, better options. Why have you not lifted the ban?
Speaking of the commission. Why did you appoint a commission that has no authority and whose suggestions you do not implement? It seems every time there is a problem you appoint another commission. Why did you not instead put together a spill clean up team that would identify problems and get them fixed?
DOJ
The New Black Panther case was dropped by your administration after it was won by the government. You were very quick to erroneously condemn a police officer in the Crowley incident this past year. Why have you not taken a stand in this case, which is much worse because it not only involves obvious racial bias by your DOJ, but also involves voter intimidation?
Your Attorney General transferred the career lawyers who revealed the inappropriate actions of the DOJ in the New Black Panther case. They also tried to prevent them from testifying before the Civil Rights Commission. How do you explain these actions? And do you plan on firing the people involved?
Even Democrats have asked the DOJ to re-open the New Black Panther case. Will you show leadership and ask your Attorney General Eric Holder to re-open this case and others that have been dismissed because of the reverse racism in the Department?
You bashed the last administration on similar situations and promised transparency in your administration. We would not have heard of this case and other similar ones that have since if they had not been revealed by Christian Adams. Is this the transparency you promised? How do you expect the American people to not see this as hypocritical of you and your administration?
Foreign Policy
State Department reports indicate that Russia is not in compliance with the current START treaty. You have stated that you believe there is no concern about Russia not conforming to this new treaty. What is your rationale considering their current actions? Why would you push for a new Treaty with a country that is not honoring the current one?
Recently leaked documents show that “the US government secretly advised Scottish ministers that it would be ‘far preferable’ to free the Lockerbie bomber than jail him in Libya.” Publicly the opposite was said. Did your administration lie to the American people about our involvement with the decision and our position on the release of this terrorist?
Ok…these questions may not help my quest…in fact I probably just put myself on some White House list. Anyways, if there are any liberals out there that have some good answers for them I am here to take notes.
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