Captain Clarity

President Obama has been nicknamed “No Drama Obama” by those close to him because he is just so cool. Even with doom and devastation all around him, he can flash a million dollar smile and stay relaxed. Many uptight people wish they had that quality, me included. Let’s take a quick look at the state of the world right now and see if we can learn anything from the master of cool.

US Housing starts posted their biggest decline in 27 years in February and building permits dropped to their lowest level on record. Gas prices are now the highest on record for the month of March and showing no sign of letting up as the world’s largest oil producing region is at war with political uprisings. The cost of jet fuel rose by nearly 20 percent in January, so airlines have reacted with fare increases of up to 30 percent. By Monday, every single stock market around the globe in the US, Asia and Europe were in a free-fall. I personally sold all of my stock because almost all of my 2010 gains were stripped away in 3 days of free-fall global sell-offs sparked by the trifecta of national disasters plaguing Japan.

Protesters are taking to the streets by the tens of thousands in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and other states across the US. Union thugs and even little-old ladies are making public death threats against our elected politicians for doing their jobs. The police and sheriff unions sent threat letters to business owners in Wisconsin and yet who can these business owners turn to for protection? If the police threatened me, I might go the the Sheriff. If the Sheriff threatened me, I might go the the police. What do you do when the Sheriff and the police threaten you? Where is the FBI in all of this? Why are they not doing anything?

The US had an election last year so our elected representative chose to not vote on a budget for 2011 so that their votes could not be used against them in their campaigns. In other words, winning political office for themselves was more important than establishing a Federal budget for you and your country. It is now mid-March and they are going to punt again with another temporary fix called a “continuing resolution” so they can all go home and take a little personal time for rest and relaxation.

The Middle East is imploding with untold numbers of innocent civilians being slaughtered and bombed in their homes by their very own leaders and governments. Starting with Iran in 2009 and recently reigniting in Egypt, then spreading like a wildfire throughout the entire region. This is the most widespread political uprising in our lifetime. The civilian rebel fighters in Libya have been begging for a month now for just a little support in their battles against a brutal dictators who is bombing his own cities and killing his own people, yet the UN and the US leaders just talk about it and say “we’re still thinking about it.”

The Pacific Plate is clearly on the move with devastating earthquakes in Chile, New Zealand and Japan in the last year. Looking at the edges of the Pacific Plate clarifies that the western US is the next likely tectonic plate edge that will release power and produce a major earthquake. What are we doing to prepare in the wake of this wake up call?

Japan would have been in bad enough shape from a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, but the following tsunami wiped out an entire region of their island nation. The third largest economy on earth has been brought to her knees and over 10,000 are expected dead. Millions of our friends are now homeless, starving, freezing and now sitting on the doorstep of a complete and total nuclear meltdown of numerous reactors.

So…let me see if I’ve got this straight… In the last few weeks, food prices have jumped faster than they have since 1974. Oil and gas prices are skyrocketing and increasing the cost of…well…everything. Housing data in the US is on a downward trend. Every US industry that is tied to the Japanese economy is about to take a BIG blow, including technology and the auto industry. War is spreading like wildfire. The economy has jumped off the cliff and markets are in a free-fall… not looking very good.

No Drama Obama is picking his favorite college basketball teams, going to dinners, parties and all kinds of fun political fundraisers. Michelle Obama is planting a garden and all of the Obama family is packing for their vacation in Rio. Of course, President Obama will be meeting Latin leaders and giving speeches (nothing new) while Michelle, the girls and all their security detail will enjoy a lot of sight-seeing, fun and frolic. There will probably be more pictures of the Obamas frolicking on the beach.