Paul Solomon's year in review: 2009

Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger became a household name last January 15th when he landed U.S. Airlines flight 1549 safely in the Hudson River despite losing power minutes after takeoff. All 155 passengers and crew, including a baby, were saved. The man known as “Sully” became an instant hero.

The year ended with another airline story. This time there was another hero, an unlikely passenger by the name of Jasper Schuringa. The Dutch passenger jumped on “Underwear Bomber”, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, after the 23-year-old student allegedly tried to detonate explosives he had hidden in his crotch, as Northwest Airlines flight 253 was on its descent into Detroit. The 289 passengers and crew were safe, although shaken up.

The media jumped on the “Underwear Bomber” story, making it the biggest story of 2009. Of course, that's because the Christmas Day incident was the last major story of the decade. It didn't hurt that after a few days of waffling on the subject, the Obama Administration admitted lapses in national security.

President Obama blamed “human and systemic” failures for the terror attempt. Then Dick Cheney burst back onto the scene and blamed Obama for “pretending we are not at war.” It should be noted that Obama just sent 30,000 troops to Afghanistan and the U.S. military has taken out more terrorists in 2009 with unmanned Predator drones and other strikes than in any year of the Bush Administration.

The fact that the Nigerian “Underwear Bomber” was trained in Yemen and was on a terrorist watch list (but not on the no-fly list) is a little unnerving. Also troubling is that his actions should have set off alarms at the two airport checkpoints prior to entering the U.S. He paid $3,000 cash, had no luggage, and was dressed for a trip to Southern California, not Detroit. I'm not saying that we should use racial profiling, but it seems odd that the guy wasn't pulled aside at any checkpoint.

More troubling in the discussion of airplane security is the fact that it is up to the public, and not trained law enforcement, to be in charge of apprehending suspects. The near-disaster brought back memories of 9/11, when passengers joined together to foil one airliner from reaching its destination, the White House. They all died, but they died as heroes.

What is the head of the Transportation Security Administration doing to prevent further attacks? Nothing, because the TSA is still waiting for leadership as the Republican party has blocked President Obama's nomination, former FBI agent and security expert Erroll Southers. The TSA is an important part of national security and has been politicized to the point of having no power to do anything. The Republicans are blaming Obama for taking too long to appoint someone to fill the post. Obama nominated Southers in September. South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint has been the major obstacle to nominating a TSA chief. The TSA is the division of Homeland Security that oversees airport security, but DeMint is concerned that Southers might let TSA screeners join a labor union. DeMint called the failed bombing attempt a “perfect example of why the Obama Administration should not unionize the TSA.” He claims unionization of TSA workers would give the “union bosses” the power “to veto or delay future security improvements at our airports.”

In between airline stories, there were other highlights in 2009. The historic inauguration of Obama, on a cold day in January, brought more than a million people to the National Mall in Washington D.C., to witness the swearing in of the 44th President of the United States. “We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America,” Obama said in his inaugural address. It may not be all that original, but Obama's oratorical skills made it possibly the sound bite of the year, except, of course, for the unusual breach of Congressional decorum when Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouted “You lie!” during a speech to Congress in September. Wilson blurted out his famous line immediately after Obama said, “There are those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal aliens. This too, is false. The reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally.” So much for health care reform.

The economy went from bad to worse to a little better. Sarah Palin cashed in on her memoir “Going Rogue” as most Americans were going broke. President Obama continued Bush's policies of bailing out failed banks and the auto industry. The swine flu, renamed H1N1, was deemed a major pandemic, but most of us are still waiting to see what all the hype was about. As the news media were fixated on two wars and a cratering economy, a little political scandal seemed to come as a breather.

Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, a Republican, saw his presidential ambitions go up in smoke as he made national news by disappearing after telling aides he was going for a hike on the Appalachian Trail on June 18th. He surfaced six days later, saying that he actually had been in Argentina “with his soul mate.” The media went wild... Until Michael Jackson died a few days later.

The news of Michael Jackson's untimely death at the age of 50 caught the media by surprise, but they stayed with the story, even delving into Anderson Cooper's discovery of Jackson's old friend Bubbles the Chimp, whom he dressed in matching clothes and taught to do the “moonwalk”. Bubbles has been found living in retirement in Florida.

From “Balloon Boy” to Tiger Woods, pop culture news gave Americans a respite from the actual horrors of two wars and the global economic catastrophe. Carrie Prejean went from first runner-up in the Miss USA 2009 beauty pageant to media star when she famously objected to same-sex marriage in favor of “opposite marriage”.

While we've all been trying to figure out how our government gets anything done, as the health care reform bill passed in the House and got torn apart in the Senate, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, and everyone scratched their heads wondering why.

As the symbol of economic excess, Bernie Madoff, is serving 150 years for bilking investors of millions of dollars, the economy is slowly making its way back. Cash For Clunkers was supposed to be a much-needed boost to the auto industry, but overall sales fell over 25%. General Motors and Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection.

After hijacking the news media for much of the year, the Michael Jackson story ended on a fitting note. As the year wrapped up, it was announced that the “Thriller” video has been added to the film archives of the Library of Congress, the first music video to be so honored.

“And that's the way it was...”
-Walter Cronkite (1916-2009)

Obama: Multi-Tasker-In-Chief

Yesterday President Obama gave a major speech about health care to the American Medical Association. It was a tough crowd - he was talking to doctors, who feel they will be negatively impacted financially if there is major health care reform. David Donnelly, national campaign director of Public Campaign Action Fund, said that Obama was "speaking to a group that is acting more like a typical Washington special interest than one that is concerned about the well-being of all Americans." But Obama was speaking to the American people. The speech was carried live on the major cable news outlets, and the evening news focused on the highlights. Obama's big sound bite was heard around the world: "If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM." This is a tough issue to tackle, as the country is on the verge of economic collapse, and many Republicans are saying we just can't afford to do anything about it right now. But clearer heads are prevailing on the Democratic side. Obama has the support of Democrats when he says that fixing health care right now is paramount to begin fixing the economy. In a speech on March 25 at a DNC fundraiser, Obama talked about why the issue is important in the overall plan to fix the economy: "Because we know that the crushing cost of health care is bankrupting families and businesses, and bankrupting the federal government and the state government, our budget reflects reforms that will bring down costs and improve care, and guarantee Americans their choice of doctors and hospitals." Since coming into office, Obama has has to deal with the collapse of the banking and auto industries, two wars, the nuclear threat of Iran and North Korea, the issue of stem cell research, the Guantanamo prison, "Don't ask, don't tell," abortion legislation and other less relevant issues. Obama has repeatedly reminded us that President John F. Kennedy didn't choose between Civil Rights and going to the moon. But Kennedy didn't have to deal with an economy that has been described as "the worst since the Great Depression." The $100 billion it took to land on the moon would have come in handy right now, although we're talking trillions, not millions, of taxpayer money to deal with fixing the economy. George W. Bush handed over a giant mess to Obama when he left office. Bush seemed out of his league when trying to deal with the imploding economy - he seemed to want to leave it to his successor. Obama said in his DNC speech March 25 that "the American people don't have the luxury of focusing on one problem at a time." In his whirlwind first 100 days in office, Obama proved he has the ability to multi-task, and he has continued all the way up to the AMA speech and beyond. While Bush can't walk and drink Red Bull at the same time, Obama seems capable of tackling an enormous workload. "I'm not going to kick these problems down the road for another four years, another eight years, for the next President, the next generation. I'm going to tackle them now," Obama said in his March 25 speech. "That's why I ran for President. That's why you helped me become President. That's why we are not going to stop until we get this thing done." He was talking about his comprehensive economic recovery plan, but he emphasized that health care reform is a key component. I'm betting on Obama, not the doctors representing the AMA, who may have to give up a little so the country can gain a lot.

Obama To AMA: "America May Go The Way Of GM"

Sound bite of the day: "If we do not fix our health care system, America may go the way of GM." That was what President Obama said earlier today in a speech to the American Medical Association. He insisted that his plan for overhauling the nation's health care system would be good for them. Obama promised doctors that "we can build a health care system that allows you to be physicians instead of administrators and accountants." Obama said that limits on medical malpractice lawsuits could be necessary. He cited the need for doctors to cut costs by reducing the number of unnecessary procedures and tests that are performed in an effort to reduce the risk of malpractice claims. Under his cost-cutting plan, Obama said that restrictions on malpractice liability to protect doctors may be needed. Although he said he's not advocating putting caps on malpractice awards, Obama said "we need to explore a range of ideas about how to put patient safety first, and how to let doctors focus on practicing medicine." He said that doctors should be able to put their efforts into curing patients as apposed to worrying about a bureaucratic system that bases pay on the amount of tests and services. The AMA agrees with the Obama Administration that health care reforms are needed, but does not support the creation of a "public option" paid for by the government to ensure coverage for the 46 million Americans who are currently uninsured. Everyone agrees, however, that health care costs in this country have spiraled out of control. America spends 50% more per person than the next expensive nation, Switzerland, and our average lifespan is three years lower. "The costs are crushing us...We can't continue on this pathway," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Nation". She said that Obama is open to whatever ideas will work. Obama has kept his campaign promises to make health care reform a top priority of his administration. He has emphasized that health care is a major cause of our economic troubles. Obama said that rising health care costs could force America to follow in the footsteps of bankrupt automaker GM. If we follow that path, he said, we'll be "paying more, getting less and going broke". Obama also told the AMA: "Make no mistake, the cost of our health care is a threat to our economy. It is an escalating burden on our families and businesses. It is a ticking time-bomb for the federal budget, and it is unsustainable for the United States of America." It's a ticking time-bomb for the average American, which is the category that I fall into. In all probability, America won't go the way of GM. As far as health care reform, Obama's on the right track. He's the right man for the job. That's why I voted for him.

GM Goes Bankrupt, Uncle Sam Now Owns 60%

General Motors filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy today. The 101-year-old automaker said it has $172.81 in debt and $82.29 billion in assets. The U.S. government has invested close to $20 billion in GM and will invest another $30 billion, bringing the total aid to $50 billion. I remember when a billion dollars was a lot of money. The purpose of this bankruptcy is to restructure the company into a smaller, less debt-ridden, viable company, according to the Obama Administration. The proposed bankruptcy restructuring will leave U.S. taxpayers with a 60% share of the company. The Canadian government will own 12%, the United Auto Workers 17.5%, and current bondholders 10%. Canada? The UAW? What's going on here? The U.S. and Canadian governments add up to 72%, and the term "Government Motors" is being used to describe the new company. GM is following a similar course taken by smaller rival Chrysler in April. After taking billions in government money, Chrysler sold most of its assets to Italian automaker Fiat. This was largely seen as a successful move on the part of Chrysler, which will be out of bankruptcy soon, with Fiat running the show. One question remains: With GM and Chrysler being bailed out, what happens to Ford Motor Company? Even though Ford has reported years of losses as well, it had more cash on hand than GM or Chrysler going into this economic mess. But now Ford is at a competitive disadvantage. After all, the U.S. taxpayer owns 60% of GM, and that's a strong incentive to favor the company over its rivals. And now that Chrysler has its independence thanks to Fiat, Ford is on its own. Ford executives have shown they are smart enough to keep the company out of bankruptcy by restructuring on their own. They are hoping to exploit their status as the only one of the Big Three to keep from taking government handouts. But can they stay competitive without resorting to bankruptcy? Maybe - Maybe not. I'm buying a GM car. I'm told I can get a really good deal on a Buick. After all, I'm a part owner.