Remarks on Gov.Jindal's Response.

Recently I've been hearing negative reaction to Louisiana Governor Piyush "Bobby" Jindal's Republican response to Pres.Obama's address to Congress. I feel that this is unfortunate, and inconsiderate. Gov. Jindal seems like a nice, friendly, and caring man, who loves his country, and sincerly feels that conservative policies are what's best for it. But he also says that he gets along well with Democrats too, and is willing to work with us, in order to come up with an acceptable plan to help deal with the challenges America faces. So since many of my fellow bloggers, Republican's and Democrats alike, are panning his speech, let me give a honest yet positive opinion of his points. First here is a transcript, so that you all can follow along. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/24/sotn.jindal.transcript/ First he starts out by mentioning how monumentous an occasion it is, because of the significance of Barack Obama being of african descent. I think that we all get how incredible it is that a black man was elected President. It's all we've been hearing about for the past few weeks. He didn't need to try and butter him up. I think that he was just trying to be nice, but it came accross as being patronising to me. Then, in the spirit of Ronald Reagan, he recounts stories about his life, past and present. I think that this would be fine, if he were President, and were the one giving the address instead of the response. But he's not the President, and I don't think that we appreciate his grandstanding. We also get that his personal accomplishments are impressive, being that he's the son of immigrants from another country, as well as culture. I'm sure that if and when he runs for President, we'll all be talking about it. And knowing the religious right like I do, the attitudes probally won't be all positive, since he was born and raised a Hindu, and many people don't even know and/or care about the differences between Hinduism and Islam. They just see a swarthy looking, foreign seeming person. I speak from personal experience. I've had to explain to my christian conservative mother that muslims do not worship idols, and that Hindus do not behead people. Well all except for the thugee, which if you've ever watched "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, you'd know all about. And yes, I also know that Jindal, as well as Obama, converted to Christianity. But I think that some people might still have there doubts about him. Anyway, we should be having to deal with that when the time comes. Let's just take things one step at a time. Next he extols tax cuts, and slams spending increases. Now we are getting to the heart of the matter. This is the bread and butter we've all been waiting for. If only he had started out with this. First he criticises the rail line between Las Vegas, and Florida. I happen to know that some libertarians believe that transportation should be privatised, and that improvments should be privately funded by land developers. But Bobby Jindal is not delivering the Libertarian position. He is supposed to be giving the Republican response. And most Republicans have no problem what so ever with improvements of our public transportation system. Then he goes on to criticise funding for volcanoe monitoring. Volcanoe monitoring is a part of the governments role in handling possible natural disasters. Like with FEMA and the flooding of New Orleans. While Gov. Jindal might feel that private companies can do a better job of dealing with such crisises, currently the federal government handles such duties. And incidently, it was a Republican administration that supoposedly mishandled Hurricane Katrina. So I'm sure that the GOP did not appreciate him citing this as an example of government incompetance. According to Keynesian economics, which from F.D.R. until Reagan was the basis for Presidential fiscal policy, Republican and Democratic alike, spending does help grow the economy. It especially helps to counteract the "downward sticky nature of prices", whatever that means. We'll have to see just how well this works in regards to the current financial crisis. If it doesn't pan out as expected, modern economics will be largely discredited, and Bobby Jindal will be vindicated. When it comes time for him to possibly run for President himself, he can tell Barack Obama "I told you so". But for right now Obama, and the Democratic leadership in the Congress, are running the show. So we'll all just have to deal with it the best we can. Also Pres. Obama had promised not to deficit spend, and to go by a "pay as you go" plan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PAYGO This was incidently the same plan that liberal Republicans have always went by, since Thomas Dewey. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Dewey So unless Obama is going to break his word, I do not think that the national debt will increase. At worse, it will remain the same. Lastly Jindal insists that we can provide healthcare coverage to all Americans, and improve education, all without increasing the size and scope of government. I certainly will be interested in hearing his plans on just how to do this. It seems like it's going to be an interesting campaign season, if and when he does declare his candidacy for the Presidency, in 2012. And if he does secure the Republican nomination, I also believe, and hope, that it will be a nicer, more respectful, campaign too. Unlike if Sarah Palin were to get it, from what I remember from her remarks at the Republican National Convention, and all of the mud that was slung by conservative Republicans during the election season. I think that this actually hurt there reputation amongst non-Republicans, and even moderate Republicans. And Jindal also claims that Americans can do anything. Well, while I appreciate his confidance in the power of the American people, we are not avatars. Only God can do anything. That's if one even believes in an omnipotent God in the first place. It's only with Him that all things are possisle, as my state's motto, Ohio, states. To repeatedly state that we as a people can do anything, is to suggest that we are all potential gods in the making. Which is a New Age belief. It's utterances like this that could cost him the support of conservative christians. But finally, I rather doubt that Gov. Jindal even bothers to read all of the blog posts about his speech. So I don't seriously expect him to even see anything I or any of you type. But if he does see this, I just want for him to know that I like him personally. And who knows, I might even decide to vote for him, if he is able to challenge Barack Obama for the presidency. I'm not a hardline liberal Democrat. And I am also interested in hearing about his proposals, if they're good ideas, regardless of my party affiliation.