Ann Bednarski: Obama running post-Bush U.S. into the ground

Do you like America today?

Recently the president spoke at the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University. He said, “President Bush approached his job as president of these United States very seriously. He is a man of principle and not at all pretentious. He is a good man.” Hearing those words from our current president, I could not help but wonder how former President George W. Bush would describe him. These two have only the presidency in common.

I found it hard to believe the president was the man delivering those words when he has consistently and often maliciously blamed President Bush for many of the increasingly, not decreasingly, serious problems we face. His sincerity is questionable. Former President Bush was elegant and humble. In his speech he included the difficult decisions he had to make as “The Decider,” adding that all presidents face tough decisions. What is in the best interest of our country?

I cannot justify why the current administration, by the president’s own words, wanted the “American people to ‘feel the pain’ of sequestration by doing such things as furloughing air traffic controllers, releasing thousands of prisoners, and eliminating tours of the people’s house, the White House. To add insult to injury, the Obamas took separate extravagant, pretentious vacations costing the taxpayers millions of dollars. Is this in the best interests of We, the People? Did he forget sequestration was HIS idea? Conversely, George and Laura Bush help wounded soldiers and starving children in Africa.

During that week, the president addressed a convention of Planned Parenthood where he pledged his full support of the organization that performs thousands of abortions yearly. He is the man who said of his two daughters that he would not want them to be “punished with a child for making a mistake …” Was that an expectation, support or encouragement for ending unwanted pregnancies within his family?

Meanwhile, here at the Legislature, a bill to begin conducting mental-health screenings of all students (AB 386) is under consideration. I view this as yet another invasion of privacy.

If the government can solve all our problems, then look at the boondoggles, failures, waste, cover-ups and general lack of leadership we see evidence of daily. Consider Solyndra, Fast and Furious, the exorbitant conferences of the GAO and Veterans Affairs, the Keystone Pipeline, and the tragedy of Benghazi, etc. Power plays by the U.S. attorney general are scary and irresponsible. Voter interference by the New Black Panthers and, more recently, the untimely issuing of Miranda rights to the Boston Marathon explosion perpetrator are examples. Think about the president’s signature program. Are you really looking forward to Obamacare and all the new taxes associated with it?

Our schools are failing because they have become social institutes controlled by unions that have no interest in the success of students. Just recently I learned a Carson City teacher could not encourage the reading of the children’s edition of “Killing Lincoln” because Bill O’Reilly wrote it. Apparently authors must be in consensus with the agenda of school boards, resembling the example of Fidel Castro in Cuba.

If these issues are offensive to you, get involved and voice your dissatisfaction. We, the People deserve much better.

Ann Bednarski is a retired educator and journalist.