Back to Nature and the President

It's a funny thing about doing outdoor work, which I did plenty of this weekend. I cut the grass, opened and cleaned the pool, swept the driveway and did some weeding. None of this was strenuous on me, since I paced myself accordingly. Since I became sick almost three years ago, I haven't really done too much.

Other than some nagging issue left over from my cancer surgery and chemo, I haven't felt this good in a long while. Which brings me to my point about outdoor work.

When you do work outdoors, especially when you are an indoor person, you find that your mind becomes clear of the cobwebs that are so hard to shake off. Putting your hands in the soil and the water seems to send a bolt of electricity that clears your mind and helps to give you a vision that otherwise would not shine in your head.

I understand why Presidents Bush 43, Johnson and Reagan loved to go to their ranches whenever possible, JFK and Bush 41 went to their New England  beach homes, and President Carter went to his peanut farm. All came back recharged to do the job each man was elected to do, some better than others. On the other hand, President Nixon went to Key Biscayne or Casa Pacifica to brood, President Clinton went to Martha's Vineyard to hide from his self-imposed problems and President Obama goes as far away as possible to Hawaii to avoid the incompetence of his advisors and possibly, even his own.

Rather than playing golf or hiding in Hawaii, President Obama needs to get more in touch with nature. Perhaps, if he did some good, honest and hard work, he would realize the challenges many of the rest of us face each day. While he may have had a difficult or uneasy childhood, he certainly has lived a life of privilege for his entire adult life. He has forgotten the lessons he was taught, but never learned.

There are times when he seems so distant and cold to what is the reality of American daily life. He keeps telling us that things are getting better, that a setback is just a bump in the road and that a larger government would be the cure to what ails us.  None of this could be further from the truth. Instead, if he took a tour, a real tour, of America's inner cities or visited suburbia for more than a photo op, or went to a farm to see the difficulties the small farmer faces rather than some conglomerate farm that has a government contract or huge subsidies, he would see what real pain is in today's America.

But first, he needs to change his MO. He needs to forgo a Hawaiian vacation or a trip to the Vineyard. Most Americans don't have the resources to make those kind of trips. He should take, as much as the Secret Service can let him, a car trip to the Amish Country or a trip to Williamsburg, or even a drive to Salem, MA to see where the average American can afford to vacation. Then, he would better understand the value that hard-working people place on the money they work for.

So, Mr Obama, do some yard work like the rest of us. Maybe you, too, can clear the cobwebs from your mind like I did this weekend. Then you will understand the truth that the rest of us face. Your policies are hurting, not helping. We need to do things for ourselves, with minimal government interference, and not have government do it for us. When you finally get your hands dirty, then you will get it.

Try doing that for a change. Then you will really accomplish something. And feel good about it, too.