Thank you President Obama!

Yes, I know what you are thinking, the economy is in shambles, billions of our tax dollars were wasted, and EPA and many other government agencies are enacting nonsensical business regulations that further suffocate the economy. Our President does not seem to understand the American values that worked for this land for so many years, and instead of being a unifying force is a divider pitting those who were successful against those who were not, blacks against whites, etc.  So, what is there to thank him for?  The answer is related to my family history.

After we struggled for many years to leave the Soviet Union, my family finally succeeded to immigrate to Israel in 1971.  My grandfather was a very special man.  He was a natural entrepreneur, and he has done very well financially in Russia, but he wanted us to live where we could be free – to live in our homeland – Israel (but this is an interesting subject for another series of blogs or a book).

Israel in the 1970s was a socialist country still influenced by the Jewish socialist ideology that established it.  Taxes were high; the government bureaucracy was unbearable; healthcare was free, but in order to get quality care, people needed to go to private doctors. In order to create jobs, the Israeli government invested in industries that did not make much economic sense – textile and orange plantations.  As a result, the country was stuck in anemic growth.  My grandfather wrote many newspaper articles about the power of free enterprise. He wrote about how limiting the role of government in the economy and unleashing the Israeli ingenuity and creativity will create an economic miracle (and indeed when Netanyahu deregulated the economy in the late 80’s Israel has experienced this economic miracle and became the most innovative economy in the world).

In the late 70s my father had a successful dental practice, but he was frustrated with the high taxes and with the mentality that if you were successful, the Israeli government would pursue and harass you (Israeli IRS was constantly harassing my father at the time).  My father had a dream of building a business, which was very hard to do at the time in Israel.  My grandfather suggested that he go to America.  America was the only country in the world with a free economy.  United States of America had a tradition of true freedoms that were embedded in its DNA since its founding. 

Following my grandfather’s advice, my parents came to United States in 1981.  But American was not itself at the time.  After almost four years of Carter administration, the American economy was savaged by out of control government spending with low growth and high inflation.  It was a hard start.  Luckily Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981 and brought United States back to its greatness both economically and in foreign affairs.  Upon completing my military service in Israel, I joined my parents in the US in 1982.

I guess I took for granted the greatness of the American values, the genius of those American founding fathers that founded the greatest nation on earth, the sacrifice of so many Americans who gave their life to guard these freedoms and these principles. 

This is what I thank President Obama for – for reminding me what my grandfather understood many years ago.  Since President Obama took office, the contrast between his ideology and policies and traditional American values has become so clear.  The values that my family and I, as many other immigrants, came to United States for.  It reminded me the America in decline during the Carter years – except now the risks are even greater and the stakes are higher.  Obama made me appreciate again the greatness of these American core values that founded this great nation.

Obama is an ideologue – the problem is that his ideology is a one of resentment of American values.  He does not understand that what made America the greatest nation on earth are the values of limited government, of individual success, the Judeo-Christian moral values, that the federal government has an important but limited role in its citizens’ success, that basic individual freedoms and responsibilities of our constitution are so centric to our greatness, the values of celebrating success of others rather envying and taxing this success, and that we are proud of our exceptionalism not apologize for it.  Many of us also cherish the values instilled in us by our fathers and grandfathers, but we came to this great land to fulfill and celebrate those values – not to be ashamed of and change them.

Now is the time to rebuild the United States of America.  It is time to go back to principles and values that made this nation great, and it is time to elect a leader that understands these values so that this United States of American stays the greatest nation on earth!