Barack Obama, America’s Selective Salary Policeman
Barack Obama, America’s Selective Salary Policeman
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2010
President Obama spoke the most revealing and clarifying 10 words of his control-freak administration this week: “I think at some point you have made enough money.” Peddling financial regulatory reform at a rally in Quincy, Ill., Obama then ad-libbed peculiar definitions of what he called the “American way” and the profit motive: “(Y)ou can just keep on making it if you’re providing a good product or providing good service. We don’t want people to stop, ah, fulfilling the core responsibilities of the financial system to help grow our economy.”
Fundamental lesson of Capitalism 101: Governments and bureaucrats don’t make what people want and need. They only get in the way. It is individuals, cooperating peacefully and voluntarily, working together without mandate or central design, who produce the world’s goods and services. They make what people desire and demand for themselves, not what Obama and his imperial overlords ordain that the masses should have.
As usual, Obama’s populist demagoguery is telling in its omissions and selectivity. While he lectures on the morality of salary caps for everyone else, his own cabinet is filled with fabulously wealthy CEOs and statist creatures who have parlayed government employment (a “good” service) into private gain as lobbyists, consultants and advisers (“core responsibilities of the financial system”) and then back again to public stints. Revolving doors have always grown the Beltway economy.
To wit: Austan Goolsbee, head of Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, is the 15th wealthiest member of the Obama administration, with assets valued at between $1,146,000 to $2,715,000. He also pulled in a University of Chicago salary of $465,000 and additional wages and honoraria worth $93,000, according to the Washingtonian magazine.
What “good” did he provide? The government research fellow and Obama campaign adviser was a champion of extending credit to the un-creditworthy. In a 2007 op-ed for The New York Times, he derided those who called subprime mortgages “irresponsible.” He preferred to describe them as “innovations in the mortgage market” to expand the pool of homebuyers. Now this wrong-headed academic who espoused government policies that fed the housing feeding frenzy is in charge of fixing the loose-credit mess he advocated. This is the “American way”?
After 16 years in Congress, four years in the Clinton administration as budget director and chief of staff, and a lifetime of schmoozing in the halls of power, Obama’s CIA director, Leon Panetta, cashed in big. He’s sitting on up to $4 million in assets. While he has zero experience in intelligence matters, he has extensive experience in parlaying his past political tours of duty into lucrative speaking gigs, consulting fees and stock options. Welcome to Obama-approved entrepreneurship.
By Obama’s definition, first lady Michelle Obama is a model capitalist. Remember: After serving with real estate mogul Valerie Jarrett in Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley’s administration, Mrs. Obama took a post at the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Jarrett was serving as vice-chair of the medical center’s board of trustees. Mrs. Obama was promoted in 2005 after her husband won his U.S. Senate race with Jarrett’s invaluable aid. As “vice president for community and external affairs” and head of the “business diversity program,” her annual compensation nearly tripled from $122,000 in 2004 to $317,000 in 2005. Even after she went on leave in 2007 to help her husband on the presidential campaign trail, the hospital paid Mrs. Obama $62,709 in 2008, prompting one skeptic to ask: “We know this is Chicago, but isn’t $63,000 quite a lot for a no-show job?”
Jarrett, of course, is now White House senior adviser to the chief spender of other people’s money. And the first lady is now using her new taxpayer-funded position not only to tell folks how they should eat, but also which “good” restaurants and groceries should be built in their neighborhoods.
If there were any doubts left about the Obamas’ ideological commitment to wealth redistribution and a command-and-control economy, those doubts have been thoroughly removed. We have a commander-in-chief who presumes to know when you have earned “enough,” who believes that only those who provide what he deems “good” products and services should “keep on making it,” and who has determined that the role of American entrepreneurs is not to pursue their own self-interest, but to fulfill their “core” responsibility as dutiful growers of the collective economy.
That famous mock-up poster of Obama as the creepy socialist Joker never seemed more apt.
***
I love Scott Johnson’s succinct rejoinder at Power Line: “At some point you have grabbed enough power.”
See what others have said
Note from Michelle: This section is for comments from michellemalkin.com's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that I agree with or endorse any particular comment just because I let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with my terms of use may lose his or her posting privilege.
Comments
You must be logged in to post a comment.
 |
Gallup: Unemployment Climbing Back to 9% for February
February 21, 2012 02:56 PM by Doug Powers
70 Comments
Dana Perino: Media Blamed Bush for High Gas Prices But Gives Obama a Pass
February 20, 2012 01:36 PM by Doug Powers
56 Comments
Obama Campaign Setting Sights on Santorum
February 18, 2012 04:43 PM by Doug Powers
137 CommentsIt Wouldn’t Be Saturday Morning Without Another Friday Night Solyndra Document Dump to Sift Through
February 18, 2012 09:52 AM by Doug Powers
41 Comments
Obama Wishes He Knew Full Extent of Economic Crisis When He Took Office
February 15, 2012 10:42 PM by Doug Powers
141 Comments
Genesis: Latest Taxpayer-Backed Solar Project Stalls
February 14, 2012 04:51 PM by Doug Powers
55 Comments
Categories: Barack Obama
Sister Toldjah
» Quote of the Day: “There is no male equivalent for abortion”Hot Air
» Open thread: The last debateRedstate
» Obama the Tax Cutter? Think AgainHot Air
» Poll: Romney on the rise in Arizona?
Hey Urkel — Is 5 million last year enough or does that even count? You have become quite rich, by your standards, how rich is rich? Or is that a rich for me and my regime but not for thee? From me to you, you make me sick to my guts by your very existence. You have benefitted by everything this country stands for but you and your ilk are trying to destroy it.
It is so blatant anymore, how can anyone still deny this administration is Marxist?
Hopefully to be terminated in the next election and the next. The arrogance of this man is astounding.
What I wanted to say but you did more eloquently.
Well Barry, who made you the moral arbiter for this country. To use your own words, that’s above your pay grade.
Well said, as usual, Michelle. Are you looking into the whole CCX thing as is Beck?
For me this is the money quote. It’s okay for people like Al Gore to rig legislation to enrich himself and those who come along for the ride, as in Cap and Trade, because as far as Obama and Co. are concerned they are ‘providing a good product or service’. You guys on Wall Street? Not so much.
Obama is poison to this Nation and needs to go.
“Change”
He left of the rest of his though.
“…into a Socialist State where the government controls everything and decides what you get and what you’ll be handing over to the government, not the least of which is your freedom of choice.”
He needs to leave.
err…. “He left off the rest of his thought.”
Let the looting continue! If they fail, we’ll write ‘em another check.
In some defense of Mr. Obama, if the “you” in his statement is the financials “industry”, he’s correct. But first, everyone in DC has to stop accepting contributions from them. Otherwise, that statement he made will have little impact on anything (other than blogger fuel!).
If Obama got his way and was able to cap earnings of the most successful in society, others who rely on those wealthy earners’ spending capacity would also earn less.
You see, if I open a lawn maintenance business and I service $10 million dollar estates, I will likely earn more money per customer than if I run the same business, but because of an earnings cap imposed by government, only am able to service $1 million dollar estates, as there wouldn’t be enough wealth to produce the higher net properties. Same prinicple applies to retail outlet or restaurant workers etc. who earn by providing a good or service to wealthy people.
I am happy to see others become successful because I know through my interaction with them in the economy, I will also achieve greater success.
FruNobulux#6,
Glenn has brought up some very interesting facts on the ccx thing. The one that got me was fannie got that patton, I can’t remember what it was though.
L
This is just astonishing. It’s amazing to me that America is letting Obama get away with this crap. I know there are many, such as the Tea Party, who are working to defeat Obama, his policies and his horde, but where is the rest of anyone in America that has even a reasonable excuse for a brain????
How does anyone in their right mind and is not on the receiving end of Obama-Give-aways support what this con-artist/thug is doing?
With all due respect, do you know anything about the financial industry and the people in it? The jobs they provide? The gargantuan amount of philanthropy they engage in?
No. Obama is not correct. The free market is the free market. While Financial firms make a lot of money… .it’s only a fraction of the money they make for their clients. Look into who those clients are….. you might have second thoughts on what you’re saying.
Soooo, what good product or good service did Barack and Michelle provide that would justify them making millions? Personally I think the Obamas make too much money.
the entitlement way of thinking is very strong in what defines zero. the joker’s face attached to a pair of air current changing ears.
Wescam, if Barack can put a cap on the financial industry or any industry for that matter, he can durn sure put a cap on YOUR earnings. think about that one.
Obama and his sycophants in the Obamamedia are selective in a lot of categories cherry-picking what constitutes good and what constitutes evil.
While he complains about CEOs making “too much”, he doesn’t mention the millions siphoned off the the union workers for his friends in the AFL-CIO and SEIU.
He complains that those in the financial industry he wants to demonize making too much but nary a word at the obscene money his good friend Oprah makes.
Some have stated that Obama’s policies are the result of naivete or incompetence. I say it’s neither. These are well planned, calculated moves and have been from the start.
BTW, anyone wonder about the Goldman Sachs inquisitions? One wouldn’t think their CEO would be for the current Financial reform bill being debated. It wouldn’t surprise me to find that this whole scenario was staged by both the Obama Administration and Goldman Sachs for the entertainment of the masses while rewarding the big financial institutions in bed with Obama for their bad behavior in the end.
I’ll just re-post what I wrote yesterday…
Notice he uses ‘you’ instead of another term i.e.
‘I do think, at a certain point, one has made enough money.’ Because he doesn’t include himself nor other elitist swine. He & they want your money.
Unless he’s uneducated, or not familiar with English. Which is possible.
Joe the Plumber.
Prescient.
When does federal government usurping the private sector and concentrating power at the federal level, become too much power? Since Obama seems to deem himself the decider on who makes too much, the people should decide when he has taken too power.
When he leaves office in 2012, the American people will need a full week to wash the stench off. One and done.
See what happens when you swear into office a Marxist who is not eligible?
Directive 10-289 was a fiction, but is there any doubt that life is imitating art? Go Galt!
Socialism is always for the masses; not for the elites. The people suffer under the system while those in power enrich themselves.
Bitter Moma was paid $300K and year and whined about how tough her life was. But being one of those “down right mean Americans” I still feel too much is not enough. Bitter Moma did tell us
Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism. That you put down your divisions. That you come out of your isolation, that you move out of your comfort zones. That you push yourselves to be better. And that you engage. Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed..
And Bambi:
“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.
“That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen,” he added.
More Mao Tse Tung and Diane Feinstein than Patrick Henry or Mahatma Gandhi I would think.
Obey my Betters Mr. President? I don’t think so.
greta stuff…
additionally, perhaps someday Oboobie will deride his Hollywood buddies… Think perhaps M. Spielberg has made enough there Barry? How ’bout Odrah, er, Oprah?
Notice he never means him. Dittos, spaceycakes.
BE for-warned, this could be a racist thought.
BHO reminds me of a football player or musician that came from the “hood” and made it big time. The money is flowing in faster than dreams can spend it.
The person then brings on-board their past friends and buddies and sets them up in jobs and positions and business even thought they have no experience.
Thus you have all of BHO’s “Chicago Connections” in the various positions and not to mention his “new” passion to play golf.
*********
Just think about it.
There … I said it outloud.
“I do think at a certain point you’ve made enough money”
But he is accurate in his description of the left’s mindset. This is exactly how they think. “I” being any elitist socialist in power. And “you’ve” being everyone else who isn’t a powerful socialist elitist.
The statement is striking in that it doesn’t say “I do think at some point WE’VE made enough money.”
This reality is what we saw and are seeing still in Russia, Venezuela, many African countries, etc.
The people in power will do whatever they can to keep themselves rich and will tell the people some of us have too much money.
Classic socialist mindset.
I hope no one is surprised.
The other key false ingredient of the leftist “belief” that they use to control the masses is the idea that wealth is static. If John Doe has “too much” it means John Doe stole it somehow and in someway from Juan Diaz. You see there is a finite amount of wealth and we all deserve and equal portion. So if one person has “too much” they stole, somehow and in someway. it from someone who has “too little”.
To make sure everyone has his or her fair share we the powerful elitist government rulers will take it away from John Doe, who after all is some kind of criminal or he wouldn’t have “too much” and give it to Juan Diaz because that’s only fair.
Juan gets his and we punish that crook John Doe.
All built on the lie that wealth is static.
Wealth is not static. Wealth is dynamic. How much Bill Gates makes has no impact on how much money I can make.
The only real impact on limiting how much money I can make is the GOVERNMENT!
Why conservative leaders are not educating the public about this lie and the truth that replaces it is beyond me.
Beck made mention yesterday that Communists separate by class. Hitler separated by race. Obama is doing both.
I have thought for some time that Communism and Fascism have had some sort of merger, but I can’t lay it out in political science terms, or even the history of how and when it occured. It is just an observation by this history student.
Perhaps the Communist-Fascist merger began around the time of Communist China reclaiming capitalist Hong Kong and not scrapping entirely the economic model?
You are absolutely correct.
Maybe he should start with repealing the congress’ power to vote themselves raises first. Then change the pension rules to mirror those for the military; That would save us quite a bit of money.
When will Americans realize we replaced a monarchy with an oligarchy? And when they do, take action to remove it!
I can deal, or not, as I choose, with any financial firm. I can buy a car that subsidizes the UAW, or not.
I have no choice at all as to whether I pay the far above average salaries and obscene benefits of Federal employees.
Somehow, I doubt Obama means to do anything about the problem that is his responsibility.
I don’t now what the nature of the patent was — Beck just referred to it as “technology”.
Very good point Max. Why is it the one and his minnions only complain about business people who make a lot of money. They never complain about Politicians like Hillbilly Clinton going from not having a pot to p**s in to having a net worth in excess of 20 million bucks or AlGore going from a few million to over 100 million. How about actors getting 20 million a movie which generally is shot in less than a year. Or black athletes getting 25 million a year as Ryan Howard just received. I mention black athletes only to tweek our black president because it’s obviously racist for white athletes to make more than black athletes. Just as Oprah is the queen of greed as the wealthiest woman in America and of course she’s black, which sort of shoots that racist America argument to hell and gone. Oh yeah, racist America made you president, what was I thinking. Riddle me this Mr President, why only greedy business people and not greedy Oprah or Bill Cosby or Ryan Howard or YOU.
Work harder ants! The grasshoppers need more cheese!
Has Barry’s big supporter, George Soros, made enough money, yet? How about Warren Buffet? Did Barry conveniently forget about his biggest backers? Yes, yes he did.
“Yes, yes he did.”
Nope. What Barry forgot is he is never suppose to tell folks what he REALLY believes in public.
The President was unclear. What he actually meant to say was,
“All animals are equal. Some animals are more equal than others.”
I’m a bit reluctant to classify what’s going on now as any kind of ‘-ism’, as I think that forces the facts into some kind of circumscribed view.
What we have is an amoral bunch of cronies who are planning to use faux-leftist platforms to grab power and wealth. Like Daly in Chicago, Obama’s not really an anything-ist but an Obamaist, and will do whatever he thinks he must to appropriate as much power and money for himself as he can. I really think it’s that simple. Maybe the Communist-Marxist ideology he’s been steeped in provides him “moral cover”, so that he can justify to himself that whomever he screws along the way probably deserved it. But I think that’s about the extent of his ideological purity. He really is Daly writ large.
In a perverse way, Hope-a-Dope just made the case for “Going Galt.” After all, if the government appoints itself as decider of when you have made “enough” money, there’s clearly no incentive to make any more than that.
The only way this guy will get another term is if his party abandons all pretense of adherence to “One man, one vote” and engages in electoral fraud on the wholesale level. Sad thing is, given what we’ve witnessed so far I can’t say that’s out of the question.
The patented technology bought by FannieMae is software needed to facilitate trading carbon credits on the carbon exchange. Think of it as the same type of software that allows stock shares to be traded on Wall Street.
It puts FannieMae right in the middle of the enormous expected stream of sales to be mandated by law.
To summarize the whole circle:
1. Obama and Jarrett were members of the board of a left wing do good fund that provided seed money (they had gotten from George Soros) for Al Gore’s Chicago Climate Exchange which was set up to trade carbon credits – and make ManBearPig extremely wealthy.
2. Two former Goldman Sachs execs were hired to run the CCX
3. Goldman Sachs (the firm) bought a large interest in the CCX
4. More shares in the CCX were bought by the Emerald Fund and its affiliate which are run by Van Johnson, SEIU, and the AFL-CIO. They also get money from George Soros.
There was more, but that is the general crux of Beck’s expose’.
Make that “The Emerald City Fund”.
Its quite possibly both. Throughout his schooling, he’s been indoctrinated not educated. And English really hasn’t been taught in public schools for eons. Perhaps TEH WON’s more familiar with Indonesian.
Rush pointed out the other day that the leaders of socialism are capitalists.
Like Obama, they have no problem with their own wealth and the sky’s the limit.
It’s the stinking masses who have to live by the “spread the wealth” philosophy.
Obamination made $5.5 Million last year:
http://www.businessinsider.com/barack-obamas-tax-return-2010-4/barack-obama-earned-55-million-last-year-most-of-it-from-book-sales-1
He gave the Nobel Prize money he didn’t deserve to charity. I notice, except for $300k or so, he kept the rest.
in_awe#45,
I watch Glenn every day and have seen what you are talking about. I was wrong about the what fannie got. You and FruNobulux are correct on the technology point. This whole ccx thing needs to be investigated by more than Glenn. On Glenn’s radio show today he was talking about this and mentioned our Michelle saying she would be great at following up on this.
L
Get- -toe.
On a separate note entirely…wasn’t it Rahm “Twinkle Toes” Emmanuel who said “Never let a good crisis go to waste” ?
I think we should heed his words- and turn them on Michelle Obama and her hypocritical husband, The Boy Queen President in Name Only.
A wise man once said: “Just as a vigorous shake can awaken a sleeping man, a severe crisis, rightly used, can start cosmic awakening.”
Yee frickin haw, Baby. Let’s do this. Let’s unseat this failed President in Name Only.
Bear1909 out.
Yes, every now and again, our president lets the cat out of the bag, its called a Presidential Duckup.
Mach1Duck, you just made my day!
ROFL!!!!!
On the contrary; he is doing everything he can, it seems, to maintain, exacerbate, and add to the problem(s) that his fellow socialists and he have created over the past ?60-70+ years, and continue to create.
Good to see you again, Bear!
“At some point” something will have to stop this Obammy insanity. That moment will be a great one.
There should be a million Americans encircling the White House screaming at the top of their lungs.
I think at some point you have hidden enough documents.
Hey Obowmao, anything in the Constitution you do like?
A couple of days ago the Washington Post got Obama mixed up with Malcome X.
Admittedly, an easy thing to do.
Please check this out:
http://radiopatriot.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/freudian-slip/
Like Mussolini, Obama started as a Marxist, but loves the practicality of Fascism.
Let me guess, you can’t name the finalists on American Idol? Please do not pay any attention to the dismantling of America, but report to the nearest circus for your loaf of bread.
Rush has a new parody called “See you in November”. I can’t wait. It will be Christmas early.
I really can’t wait for November 2012.
I’m guessing a guy and a gal at Carnegie Mellon could do this in a week for a tuition credit…
Mellon? Isn’t that racist or something? Oh, wait…
I was looking forward to it, myself, until, on another thread, I discovered my allegedly conservative Congressman, Eric Cantor, voted FOR Puerto Rico to be a state.
Please let there be a TEA Party candidate on my ballot……….
I’d hate to have to vote for a Democrat to get rid of this weasel.
MM, doing the research and reporting the State Run Media won’t do. I’m going to guess the topic de jour of the MSM tonight will be that oil platform fire/spill on the gulf, despite no major oil spills since what Exxon Valdez?
A carbon credit is what exactly? Can you tell me what they look like? Is it a paper document similar to a stock share certificate? Bwaahaaa….I’m dyin’ laughin’ about the idiots that actually buy these. How incredibly stupid can some people be….carbon credits–bwhahaaa!
It looks like this. It made Goricle the first “green” billionaire and bought his spiffy new $8.8 Million ocean front villa in CA.
Obama income 2008 $2.7 million.
Obama income 2009 $6.1 million.
Hmmmmmmmm. Mr. President, at some point don’t you think you have made enough money??
Ok. But, it’s all a complete fraud.
Really liked this column.Really don’t care for Obama’s attitude about “some of” the rich.
I actually think Noonan was back in the groove after a long absence.
Someone has to convince legal immigrants that they aren’t the problem.
Well I’m sure obie 1 meant all of us when he was talking but not to mention the rich union guys or franklin raines 90 mill he got from Fannie Mae. One thing is for sure….. “I’m gonna remember in November”
Likewise, Granite!!!
It is another example of how a BLT member sees the USA.
Another EXCELLENT column Michelle! Two home-runs in one week!
I heard this on the radio this afternoon:
That label will stick. Yes it will!
The more I think about his ‘good’ remark, add Oprah, Soros, Gates, Buffet, Rezko, Unions etc, to the thought, I believe now that it won’t be pre-selected “good products & services”, it WILL be pre-selected people &/or ‘justified ends’ that will get Dear Leaders approval to make and keep more than others.
Is that a chapter in Crony Capitalism? or ‘Phony Capitol-ism’
A new century black list is forming, be Obama’s BFF, endorse all his far left/marxist/green agenda items or pay up.
crony fascism
“I think at some point you have made enough money.”
At what point, EXACTLY, Barry? I want you to define the amount of income is the “point you have made enough money.”
Then explain what you’re going to do about Oprah and your Hollywood buddies who already make “too much” money. Are you going to “spread their wealth around?”
Riiiight – ITTRP! Methinks his slip of the tongue (no teleprompter there to help him) is what he really believes. I hope he keeps on doing stupid stuff like this so the dumb Americans who voted for him finally “get” it.