Unemployment hits 9.7%, indicating that the recession—which the news media has declared over or, as of yesterday, showing signs of sure growth—is still very much with us.

Stimulus spending has failed to produce tangible results. Cash for Clunkers proved to be a two-way bust: first, it showed that the administration cannot gauge or manage basic business transactions, and now—as predicted at the Big G as well as many, many other places—it has killed car sales for 2009-2010 by forcing two years of car sales in a six-week period. No one needs to buy a car now until 2011.

The War in Afghanistan has worsened at a time when successes in Iraq are being reduced or reversed. The Obama administration has no plan or strategy to reverse course. North Korea and Iran move closer to manufacturing nuclear weapons, and the Obama administration has no plan or strategy to prevent this. We continue to insult the United Kingdom, Canada, and other old friends while ignoring Russia and China. Again, there is no plan to mitigate or correct this incompetence from the State Department.

The President campaigned on healthcare cost reform, and is working the phones hard to win votes for it—from members of his own party. His reliance on Congress to get his initiatives done comes right at the time that most Americans are angered with Congress to the point of open confrontation. This above all explains his dramatic, Carter-like slide in approval ratings (bearing in mind that Carter started with a higher initial rating).

He campaigned on a green economy, correction of climate change, and elimination of dependence on fossil fuels; so far, he managed to push a poorly written, highly cost ineffective bill through the House of Representatives that achieves little of this goal, and is presumed to be DOA in the Senate. He has done nothing else, since, on this front.

Resentment builds over what even reluctant independents consider open socialism: the GM takeover, single-payer insurance, addressing the nation’s schoolchildren in a rah-rah-rally, the use of czars not subject to any check or balance, ironically contrasted to the pursuit of America’s intelligence community for retroactive prosecution (although the irony fades if you consider ignorance of Constitutional protections accounts for both), motions to take control of the internet for “security reasons,” gathering of names and email addresses of people promoting “fishy” ideas and attempting to turn September 11th from a day of mourning to a National Service Day. The Obama administration says these are all misunderstood, perfectly legitimate and reasonable actions—yet hurriedly scramble to offer corrections, withdraw elements, modify language, and drop issues as soon as someone points out these pro- or para-socialist activities.

Few presidents ever have a great first year. George W. Bush did, in September of 2001, but only because of how he responded to a horrific tragedy of epic proportions. Reagan had a difficult first year, as well, but had many powerful successes that encouraged Americans to stay the course—and that proved correct by significant measure. President Obama started off dicey and has suffered setback after setback since. However, unlike Reagan, he has yet to show anything to encourage us. Do we really think next year will be better for him?

The Czar of Muscovy

Божію Поспѣшествующею Милостію Мы, Дима Грозный Императоръ и Самодержецъ Всероссiйскiй, цѣсарь Московскiй. The Czar was born in the steppes of Russia in 1267, and was cheated out of total control of all Russia upon the death of Boris Mikhailovich, who replaced Alexander Yaroslav Nevsky in 1263. However, in 1283, our Czar was passed over due to a clerical error and the rule of all Russia went to his second cousin Daniil (Даниил Александрович), whom Czar still resents. As a half-hearted apology, the Czar was awarded control over Muscovy, inconveniently located 5,000 miles away just outside Chicago. He now spends his time seething about this and writing about other stuff that bothers him.