Virtue of Selfishness - Individualism  

Show Notes

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 12/13/2008 5:34 AM UTC

  Understanding BHO and the influence of Chicago Politics
  

  I'm sure you were all surprised over the recent events surrounding the Governor of Illinois. I must say, I wasn't surprised by the charges or allegations of corruption, I was surprised that the FBI was on top of the situation and acted on the evidence at hand. I hope it wasn't too premature to implicate all that need to be implicated.
  
  Perhaps because the allegations show such blatant disregard for the legal political process or perhaps because of the widespread nature of the corruption...they seemed to act with some urgency. Secretly, I'm hoping that many in the new administration may be implicated and that the Golden Boy may become a bit tarnished if not downright taken down. How disrespectful, huh? I just believe very strongly that our president-elect is very much involved in, has been tutored in, that same political machine.
  
  When I watched the Obama biography that ran during the campaign days, one of the things that sounded "out of tune" to me (that's my personal thermometer), was the stark difference between the young Obama and the Harvard and Political Obama. As a child and well into his early college days, he was an islander. Hawaii, Indonesia and southern California have a lot in common. I'm Dutch-Indonesian myself, and I can tell you that I live in southern California because we're from the islands. When my parents first left Indonesia they were not allowed to immigrate to America. We had to immigrate to Holland first, as they were Dutch citizens. My parents only lasted 5 years in the Netherlands. Partly, the socialism, partly the weather. Indonesians like the ocean and the balmy breezes. If there was a warmer beach, that's where you'll find the Indonesian immigrants. Those of my family who immigrated to Chicago or Ohio in the 50's, found their way to southern California.
  
  So, this laid-back islander, comes to southern California for college, Occidental, I believe and retains his laissez-faire and laid-back life of mediocrity as a citizen and college student. It happens to a lot of southern California college students. The weather, the beach, the drugs, it's easy to understand mediocrity. But then...something happened. They don't really say what happened in the Bio, but the young Obama somehow has an epiphany and transfers to Columbia. Does anyone know if that's easy or hard to do? I have 5 kids, some of who had college aspirations and college is expensive. If they were students with middle class parents, then it became even harder to pay for college without the parents becoming involved. There's this thing called Expected Family Contribution that's factored in.
  
  Okay, so let's say he comes out of Occidental without debts and transfers to Columbia with a tuition and expenses of at least $30K per year, since I don't know what the inflation factor here is... but these are the costs of Columbia today.
  
  Average Cost at Columbia, 2008-2009
  Tuition $37,470
  Mandatory Fees $1,856
  Orientation & Transcript Fee (new students only) $480
  Room & Board $9,980
  Books & Personal Expenses $2,100
  Average Cost of Attendance $51,886
  
  Scholarships for mediocre students is a tough sell. Financial need grants and loans, Pell Grants, Stafford loans I understand, but what kind of scholarships? We know they weren't merit scholarships, because he describes his time at Occidental as mediocre and unfocused. Okay, so let's say, he gets out of Columbia with no debt... In 1983 he graduates from Columbia University and works a year at Business Int'l Corporation. Business International Corporation, as far as I can research, was a publishing and advisory firm dedicated to assisting American companies in operating abroad. That makes sense, especially if he trades on his Indonesia and Kenyan connections, but the Bio doesn't go into that or his time at the firm.
  
  The first "out of tune", "sour note" or flag came with the next step in his college life. In 1985 he moves to Chicago and talks someone into hiring him as the director of the Developing Communities Project. His first boss thought it odd for a young man of 24 wanted to be a community planner, but hired him and he stayed there for 3 years.
  
  Why Chicago?
  
  What happened in Los Angeles to send him to Columbia, and what happened at Columbia or at Business International Corporation that would make Chicago the next logical move. He had no family in Chicago, no obvious ties or relations. A young college grad, probably in debt from college, or maybe not at all, ...but a college grad with a year of experience in the corp world, and voila...."I think I want to work in an underpaid, community service job in Chicago"? Call me crazy, but what makes an islander choose Chicago? Isn't there as much community service opportunity in Hawaii or Los Angeles? He couldn't have gone there only for the experience in community service projects. Chicago streets are tough, and there's nothing that he could have found appealing as an islander. The islands breed a laissez-faire attitude of live and let live. I think it comes from the fact that if one part of the island isn't to your liking you find another and it's free and public and everyone is well fed and happy, with or without a job or a purpose. Especially in Indonesia where food and good weather is more abundant than money and jobs. You don't need money to have a good day in Indonesia. The locals aren't very materialistic and just enjoy good company and good days, one person, one day at a time. Where did the drive, the desire, the need to understand and succeed in Chicago politics come from?
  
  I personally struggle with various natures in myself. My physical and spiritual, my Indonesian islander and my conqueror Dutch. At home we laugh about our "Dutch-Indo" culture. The Indonesian in me just wants to basque in the sun and suck on mangoes all day -- the Dutch in me wants to buy up all the mangoes and sell em to tourists. I tend to do a little of both, not ever giving in completely to either.
  
  I wonder then, what this Islander, no more mixed culture then I am, struggles with? He isn't Kenyan, he's not Indonesian or Hawaiian or midwestern. He's not white and he's not black. He's managed to become an crusader for race, poverty, social and economic justice issues with no real roots in either. Perhaps that's where his elitist demeanor comes from. In many cultures the whitest or the lightest are revered. I know that sounds racist, but in colonial Dutch Indonesia it was not unusual for those with lighter skin to be thought more beautiful. In Asian countries you'll find the movie stars and news anchors tend to have a lot of western features. It's just an observation of mine, it's not a racist statement, y'all. My grand kids bring even more mixed culture to our family, and there aren't a group of more beautiful kids on the planet....okay! I'm only observing and opining here.
  
  I believe BHO was on a mission, a continuing education mission. I do believe he's the trojan horse. I don't think that any islander can really make POTUS a mission for his own purposes. He doesn't really want to have a foreign policy, or conflicts in the world. He doesn't really want to have to prove himself. He's a skater who's smart and wants to be at the top of his game, but believe me this is just a game still. I believe he'd be a happy camper sucking mangoes on some island. I think he took a personal journey, was discovered to be unique, and was then mentored and groomed to be who he is today. (Not that anyone knows what that is.....yet), but somewhere he accepted in himself and others saw in him, not the greatness that some want to believe, but the uniqueness of floating to the top and the ability to win favor.
  
  I believe he was TOLD to go to Chicago, to learn about the proletariat issues and learn how to succeed in Chicago politics. It required he work in community service, it required he go back to school for a law degree. It required he marry a black woman and become part of the Chicago machine.
  
  But why, and who is behind this? From where does he get his inspiration? We know it isn't the bible...he's mocked much. I doubt if it's the Koran, a real muslim knows the consequences of being worse than an infidel. But what then?
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