With the Presidential elections coming up in November and the political environment in campaign mode, there are still major expectations on the President and Congress to get at least a few things done before the end of the year. There are a couple of things on the list that President Obama and Congress must and should do before they ditch their jobs in favor of the campaign trail. As much fun as fundraising and campaigning can be, there is still a job to do in Washington and so far it hasn’t been done.
So, the number one expectation on this list will likely come as a surprise to some. The very first thing that Congress and the President should do at this moment is to get the budget passed. There hasn’t been a real government budget since President Bush left office. Yes, you read that right. President Obama has never had to work within a government budget. This is perhaps the biggest reason why spending is so out of control. There is no budget.
Every person who has ever spent money knows that the instant you lose track of what you’re spending, you lose control. Once you lose control, you get into financial trouble. Any financial adviser will tell you that one of the very first things you should do is to create a budget. In fact, the only way out of this mess is to make a budget.
This issue can’t really be stressed enough, because it really is the first step to getting out of the mess that the President and Congress have gotten the American people into. So, President Obama, quit the campaign trail, get back into Congress, pile the pressure on the Senate Democrats and get an actual budget passed.
In other words, for both Congress and President Obama, DO YOUR JOB.
Second on the list, probably of less importance, but still involving a huge military mistake by someone, is to deal with the spy plane in Iran. Again, this is the President’s job, as listed in the US Constitution as the Commander in Chief. Simply put, the spy plane is a military embarrassment that needs to be dealt with quickly. In fact it is so embarrassing, that it negates any of the past military victories that President Obama has had. Yes, it is even worse than GITMO and that’s saying a lot.
So, President Obama, get your military leaders on the phone, meet them in person, use whatever means at your disposal to get a plan in place to deal with that spy plane. All you are really being asked here is to DO YOUR JOB.
Third on the list is approval of the Keystone project. This project has been in the works for years and is likely President Obama’s only hope for the creation of real jobs (since clearly, all other proposals for job creation have either failed or have been sidelined). Not only is it a step toward energy independence, it is a political feather that can be placed in the Presidential cap. The environmental impact surveys have been done. The time to act is now. So, President Obama, if you want to keep your campaign promise of creating jobs, here’s your best chance for doing so. Delaying this will hurt America’s efforts toward creating energy sources closer to home. Approval of this will fulfill promises made during many, many Presidential speeches.
Since this is getting rather long, these three are the top expectations that should be accomplished before hitting the campaign trail. President Obama, GO DO YOUR JOB and stop the campaign until you get this done. You have plenty of cronies to sing your praises and raise money for you. You need to DO THE JOB you were elected to do.
Congress, the only way you can end the constant disappointment and bring at least some respect back is to do the one thing you are tasked to do by the US Constitution, pass a budget. So, Congress, do some compromising, take the first step to getting America back on a financially smart course, and DO YOUR JOB.
(White House photo)
