He is back.

So, Barack Obama has been sworn in for a second term. Speeches have been made, the band has played and the ball is over. Will he now be able to carry out what he has promised or will it be like the first term when the Republicans blocked every bill and even tried to block the raising of the debt ceiling if the deficit was not drastically reduced? The Republicans want taxes to be reduced on the rich while cutting entitlements for the poor. In a perfect capitalist state companies would not have to pay their employees. Employees would live near their workplace, work from sunup to sundown, get no wages and get 2 meals in the day with a snack at lunchtime. Employees excess to requirement maybe sold to other companies and others bought if needed. Unfortunately this has a name. It is called slavery and was abolished after a long civil war killing tens of thousands by a Republican President called Abraham Lincoln. Republicans are mostly Pro-life which means that they are against any abortion at any stage and for any reason. There are those who would deny abortion even in a case of " legitimate rape ". However, the same Republicans are gung-ho for gun ownership. Some states have a " Stand Your Ground " law which allows you to shoot someone to death if you think he might attack you. This is the defense adopted by George Zimmerman who shot 16 year old Trayvon Martin to death on 26 February 2012 in Sanford, Florida. Martin was unarmed and walking away while speaking to his girlfriend on his cell phone. Even after 20 children between the ages of 5 and 10 years were shot to death at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association claimed," The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." To reinforce this point the NRA is airing a commercial which says that Obama is against armed guards in schools protecting children of others while his own daughters are protected when attending school. Thus with with a bunch of hypocritical Jim Crow Republicans holding the nation to hostage very little will probably get done. No wonder most of them are elected from the old Confederate states. On foreign policy also there is no clarity. Bibi Netanyahu is set to win the election in Israel today so the Palestinian question will remain unsolved. Also there might be more pressure to bomb Iran. As the US leaves Afghanistan it will allow the ISI to send in the Taliban to take over the country. The US was unwilling to interfere in Mali but were preempted by the French resulting in American hostages being killed in the siege in Algeria. There seems to be stalemate in Syria with the rebels being gradually replaced by Jihadists from elsewhere. Where does India stand? Nowhere. With a bunch of spineless, selfish crooks in charge we have no standing.