The president hasn't learned the lessons of his past failures

I have always said that I believe the role of government is to defend the borders, build infrastructure, collect our taxes and then get out of the way. Under President Obama, we have witnessed an executive branch that refuses to enforce immigration law but has expanded government like never before while our roads and bridges crumble beneath us.

For the last seven years, the former constitutional law professor who occupies the White House has completely ignored our nation's founding document which makes clear that the Congress creates law and the president enforces it. Instead, his endless stream of unaccountable bureaucrats on the federal government payrolls have authored rulings and regulations that have had damaging effects on industry and hardworking American families.

As I recently wrote to the Texans in my district, Washington this past year has brought me frustration and disappointment. Rather, it is my constituents and the "Texas spirit of resolve, determination and willingness to confront challenges head-on that give me hope for the future."
I have very little reason to believe that President Obama will suddenly reverse course and work with Congress and lead the American people during his final year in office. I think it is more realistic that he will continue to shift blame and further divide us as he lectures us from the podium in the Oval Office or his press room as if we were his students in his lecture hall.

And although he is approaching the end of his presidency, our commander-in-chief has not learned the lessons of his past. Now more than ever our allies do not trust us and our enemies do not fear us. President Obama cannot admit Islamic extremism is the real threat to America, and he does not realize his campaign promises on Guantanamo Bay and Iraq were premature then and have made us less safe now.

The United States has maintained a presence in Europe and Asia for 70 years, and it has brought prosperity, hope and stability enjoyed by millions. This must have been overlooked by the Obama Administration when it turned dangerous rhetoric into an actual policy of an American troop withdrawal — which was mildly reversed when its mistake was made clear.

The Middle East is in shambles. Dictators have been replaced with extremist groups that force Islamic law through rape, murder and fear. We have spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to train a handful of unreliable "moderate rebels" that have done nothing to help restore order. This administration's foreign policy handbook will provide case studies in decision-making blunders for decades to come.

Domestically, we are not fairing too well either.

Despite President Obama's favorite line that deficits are decreasing, our national debt is nearing $19 trillion and rising. If the president wishes to inform the public of our financial reality he should explain how the federal government is continuously overdrafting its checking account while simultaneously raising the balance of its credit card and that the percentage of able-bodied adults who are working is at its lowest level since the 1970s.

Instead of pushing for mental health reforms, President Obama continues to promote his anti-gun agenda immediately following any national tragedies — even ones that are committed by radical Islamists. Our president's inability to identify real problems and take effective measures to fix them are the result of his misguided view of the world and the role the United States should play in it.

In a few weeks, President Obama will deliver another State of the Union address where he will undoubtedly try to convince us that under his watch we have become safer and economically better positioned. History will suggest otherwise, and frankly, history knows otherwise.

If there is one lesson that can be learned from this presidency, it's that real world experience matters. Unfortunately, we've learned that President Obama is just better suited to be a community organizer.

Roger Williams represents the 25th congressional district of Texas.