President Obama's popularity continues to head south. Explanations abound. Here's mine.
Obama’s problem is that, as the quintessential central planner, he had every confidence he could “make it all work” — what Nobel Economist Friedrich Hayek called “the fatal conceit.” Obama made scores of performance promises, and delivered on almost none of them — while screwing things up royally because of the “Law of Unintended Consequences.”
It’s not so much that he lied as a candidate — I think he actually BELIEVES what he says. But he’s working in a job that is WAY above his capabilities and understanding. Even worse, all his advisers come from the same DC Disneyland School of Economics.
Unfortunately for Obama, snippets of every major smug, unfulfilled promise he made on the campaign trail are now showing in dozens of derisive videos posted on You Tube and other Internet sites.
In short, Obama is an articulate, even charismatic dolt who — as the “Peter Principle” predicted — has now risen to his level of incompetence.
Richard Rider
- Location
- San Diego, California, USA
- Birthday
- August 24
- Title
- Chairman
- Company
- San Diego Tax Fighters
- Bio
- Biography of Richard Rider
(Updated July, 2011)
San Diego, CA 92131
E-mail: RRider@san.rr.com
* AGE: 66
* EDUCATION: B.A. Economics, University of North Carolina, 1968
* MILITARY SERVICE: Commander, Supply Corps, U. S. Naval Reserve, retired after 26 years (four years active, the rest in the reserve).
** OCCUPATION: Retired stockbroker and financial planner. Lifetime member of the International Association of Financial Planners. Former business owner.
* AFFILIATION:
• Chairman, San Diego Tax Fighters
• National Taxpayers Union
• Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association
• San Diego County Taxpayers Association
* POLITICAL ACTIVITIES:
• Successfully sued the county of San Diego (Rider vs. County of San Diego) to force a rollback of an illegal 1/2-cent jails sales tax, a precedent that saved California taxpayers over fourteen billion dollars, including $3.5 billion for San Diego taxpayers.
• Actively supported a variety of tax-cutting ballot initiatives including Proposition 13. Has written ballot arguments against numerous county and state tax increase initiatives.
• County co-chair of both California term limit initiatives (Prop 140 and Prop 164).
• Libertarian Party candidate for governor in 1994.
• Candidate for the 3rd District County Supervisor in 1992 (third place among six candidates with about 20% of the vote).
• 1993 – appointed to (and then elected chair of) the San Diego County Social Services Advisory Board.
• 1996 – appointed as a Commissioner on the California Constitution Revision Commission by state Assembly Speaker Kurt Pringle.
• Has been involved in legal actions against City of San Diego to force a public vote on issuing bonds for Qualcomm stadium expansion, convention center, baseball ballpark and other projects.
• 2005 – Unsuccessful candidate for Mayor of San Diego, though his reform ideas have since taken hold.
• 2007 – Columnist for NORTH COUNTY TIMES and SAN DIEGO DAILY TRANSCRIPT
• 2009 - The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association's "California Tax Fighter of the Year"
* FAMILY: Married. Wife, Diane, is a retired public high school teacher. Two sons, ages 32 and 27.
MY RECENT POSTS
- Rider on XETV-6 discussing SD
city politician pay & pensions
February 09, 2012 05:38PM - Legally receive daily WSJ
"Opinion" section by email
February 07, 2012 06:17PM - As Super Bowl Shows, Build
Stadiums for Love and Not
Money
February 05, 2012 10:36AM - Gov Brown extorts
"contributions" from
businesses
January 31, 2012 06:44PM - GOV. BROWN CLAIMS HSR WILL BE
FAR CHEAPER - AND FREE
January 30, 2012 12:19PM
MY RECENT COMMENTS
- “The funny part is that
true believers continue to
make the
"50 million
refug…”
April 24, 2011 01:55PM - “We should never forget
that Next 10 was one of the
backers
(if not the
principal…”
February 20, 2011 02:42PM - “Excellent idea, Bob.
Indeed, I've been hyping the
"free"
student
lapto…”
August 12, 2010 04:58PM - “Thanks for the "comment"
guidance. Can one go back
and
RETROACTIVELY
t…”
September 24, 2009 11:19AM - “As I said before Robin,
I don't do one-on-one
discussions
without an
audience. A…”
September 24, 2009 10:51AM
Richard Rider's Links
- Rider's Reads
- CATO Recent op-eds
- NCPA Daily Digest
- SD Rostra
- CARPE DIEM
Richard Rider's Favorites
- No relations made yet.

Salon.com
Comments