‘Obama - A Person of His Word?’
by Thomas D. Segel (7/6/10)
Harlingen, Texas, July 5, 2010: We all know our world has changed. It has changed drastically in this past century, this past decade, this past year. What was once quite common is seldom heard anymore. For example, we seldom hear of an individual being evaluated as being “a person of their word”.
Growing up, I can recall that repeatedly my parents and grandparents would caution me that people always judged an individual by how well he or she kept their promises. I was warned not to make pledges I didn’t intend to keep and to always honor my word.
To be completely realistic, we all make pledges or promises that are sincere when uttered, but fade away like the wind with the passage of time. It matters not if it is a promise to be home by dinnertime or to lose ten pounds by summer, obstacles form in front of us…and we fail. However, this should be the rare exception and not the rule of our lives. Since nobody wants to be viewed harshly by others, we should always remember the world judges a person by how well they keep their word.
We all like to associate with people we can trust. We want to do business with those companies that say what they mean…and mean what they say. We do not form close friendships with liars. In the case of most intimate relationships, we seek out individuals who are true to their word.
So, why is it that when it comes to our interaction with the political community we accept politician’s promises and pledges time after time, knowing deep inside ourselves we are hearing nothing but lies?
The newspapers and television reports have daily articles crammed with false political promises that we accept or reject depending upon our own political philosophy. He or she is “our” candidate or elected official…so what is being said is the truth. It remains the truth until it is modified, compromised or just broken. And we usually debate about when that modification or compromise will take place.
I recently read an article that stated Barack Obama had made a total of 516 promises to the American people. At the time it was written in January 2009, he had only broken a total of 19, placed another 82 on the back burner to think about later, had compromised on 37 and completely ignored 3. Those numbers cover 141 of the political promises he made to the people. I guess that means he is still working on 375 things he has assured us will happen…and all at the same time.
According to http://Politifact.com/ , Bush made the public a total of 177 promises and Clinton gave his word on 204. It does not numerate how many of their pledges became reality. Obama already more than doubles and triples his predecessors in uttering political payoff pledges…and he is not yet through the first half of his elected term of office. Nevada bookmakers could come up with a very interesting money pool on what Obama’s final tally false hope and dreams will total.
None of this should be a shock to the American public. There is a fifty-year-old joke that asks the question “How can you tell if a politician is lying?” It answers that question stating, “His lips are moving!”. If we knew this fifty years ago, why should we think any differently today?
Semper Fidelis
Thomas D. Segel
http://thomasdsegel.com/
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