Editor’s Note: Daily Caller High is a group of young writers cutting their teeth in the world of political punditry. Each writer was given the opportunity to reflect and write on an event that occurred over the past week.
Give it the old “government intrusion” spirit!
By Ian Pringle
Where the federal government steps in, chaos ensues. Their next target? The student loans industry. In another brilliant Obama scheme, the Senate is looking at a bill that would shove private lenders to the sidelines in favor of a government-run lending program. Could the government make the student loan industry be the next big bubble?
Lets look at the typical college student for a moment; a jobless, credit-less, gullible post-teen, who has never had to pay anything off before, and last I checked most college graduates don’t walk out of college with a job that can handle a $120,000+ loan at 6.8 percent interest.
The bottom line is, this is a risky industry for the private sector, at best! There has never been a successful government program, let alone take-over. If I have learned anything from the Obama administration, let alone liberal politics, they like to give everyone a piece of the proverbial pie, whether they can afford it or not. This bill looks like it will turn into a “student welfare” program. As a final thought; a government-run student loan system would mean they can decide who gets the loans and where they go to school.
Ian Pringle is an 18-year-old conservative. He blogs at 17 Pages and can be found on Twitter as @Pard68.
Mr. President, meet my friend, Reality
By Jackie Seal
Have you ever heard the phrase “Your failures won’t hurt you until you start blaming them on others?” Well, Obama, your failures are starting to hurt you. Why? No, it’s not Bush’s fault. It’s because of your blame game.
The other day Obama sat down with George Stephanopolous and they chatted about various things—one of them being the results of Tuesday’s special election in Massachusetts. When asked to explain why he thought the democrat lost, President Obama (in classic Obama style) blamed Bush for a Scott Brown victory! The complete lack of logic in his answer has left me dumbfounded. He responded, “The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office. People are angry and they’re frustrated. Not just because of what’s happened in the last year or two years, but what’s happened over the last eight years.” That’s funny. I didn’t realize Brown was running against Bush’s tax and spend agenda or Bush’s health care plan or Bush’s refusal to jump to conclusions about radical Islamic terrorists or Bush’s apology tour.
No, Mr. President, the good people of Massachusetts voted for Brown because they’re upset with you, not Bush. Jeff Hedgpeth of NewsReal Blog broke it down great. You are failing and you can’t blame anyone else for that but yourself. Everything you have tried that has failed is because the American people have stood up and said no to you, not Bush. A true leader admits his mistakes, comes up with ways to improve and moves on. Stand up; quit looking to the past and start leading this country or we’ll see you out the door in 2012.
Jackie Seal is a high school senior who blogs at Red, White and Conservative and can be found on Twitter at @JackieSeal.
Desperate times, desperate measures: Become a lobbyist
By Brandon Kiser
I don’t like bad news. In fact, I can’t think of many who do. So when I hear that 36,000 people filed for unemployment in the week leading up to Jan. 16, I cringe. For those keeping track (likely the ones who like bad news), that’s 482,000 filers this season under the Obama economy.
But as the optimist does, I looked for a bright spot in this disaster and I think I’ve found it. If you just lost your job, become a lobbyist! After all, it’s been quite the year for K Street. Just look at their latest numbers. Under the supposed lobbyist-free Obama administration, The Podesta Group’s total reported fees jumped 60 percent in 2009. And in case you’re wondering, The Podesta Group is operated by Tony Podesta, the brother of Obama White House transition team leader John Podesta. Five other lobbying firms in total posted gains more than 20 percent.
We can argue all we want that lobbying is a bad thing, because in many aspects it is. It’s impossible to cripple lobbying when you keep increasing the size of government–which is the ultimate culprit here. As soon as we inhibit the exponential growth of government, spending and entitlements, lobbying will follow suit.
Brandon Kiser is a Kentucky high school student. He writes as an assistant editor for 73wire.com, blogs at the American Kiser, and can be found on Twitter @BrandonKiser.