Didn't Obama have people fainting at town hall meetings during his campaign? The only reason you'd have fainted last night was if you couldn't hold out for the record-long speech or you fell asleep from hearing the same things our President has reiterated over the last year.
In summary, I felt the speech lacked excitement, energy, leadership and an agenda that mirrors our dire economic state. Here are some statements that caught my attention:
Obama: Tomorrow, I'll visit Tampa, Florida, where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act. (Applause.) There are projects like that all across this country that will create jobs and help move our nation's goods, services, and information. (Applause.) We should put more Americans to work building clean energy facilities -- (applause)...
My Issue: Government-created jobs are not REAL jobs. I'm not suggesting physical people are not working them (I know a lot of people who work for the government), but this job creation will not stimulate the economy. Jobs need to come from the private sector. I've said before this requires infusing private companies with cash and this comes easiest with tax cuts.
Obama: But at a time of record deficits, we will not continue tax cuts for oil companies, for investment fund managers, and for those making over $250,000 a year. We just can't afford it.
My Issue: This is distribution of wealth and it is not right. I don't make $250k a year (or should I say, the hubster work-a-holic doesn't make $250k a year...by a mile), but even still, who's to say those people don't deserve their hard-earned cash? "We can't afford it" WHAT?! Mr. President, if you want to create a state of dependency and entitlement, please do so without taking money from those who've earned it based on their efforts. A lot of wealthy people are very generous with their money. They donate large amounts to charities and are GOOD people. If you take away part of their cash just because they have large amounts of it, do you think they will be a bit disenchanted and give less? You betcha...then you've got an entirely different problem altogether...the failure of non-profits (aka more job loss, and less charitable donations to help people in need).
That "You betcha" was for all my Sarah Palin fans. :)
Obama: We have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust -– deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years. To close that credibility gap we have to take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue -- to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly; to give our people the government they deserve.
My issue: I love this whole "to do our work openly" statement. Do you know Obama was in the press recently claiming the closed-door health care meetings were wrong? He feels bad about them now. Do you also know he promised "transparency" on CSPAN for those same negotiations and we have proof of his hypocrisy? What makes you think we'll get it now? I'm not counting on it. Yes, there's a deficit of trust. I don't trust Obama as far as I can throw him...and I have a gimpy arm, so I can only throw him 3.2 inches.
Obama: Throughout our history, no issue has united this country more than our security. Sadly, some of the unity we felt after 9/11 has dissipated. We can argue all we want about who's to blame for this, but I'm not interested in re-litigating the past. I know that all of us love this country. All of us are committed to its defense. So let's put aside the schoolyard taunts about who's tough. Let's reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values. Let's leave behind the fear and division, and do what it takes to defend our nation and forge a more hopeful future -- for America and for the world.
My issue: I was a bit surprised at the lack of overall content on our security and military. It was such a small portion of the SOTU considering our security was infiltrated and under attack less than a month ago. We had a full-fledged terrorist ready and armed to blow up an airplane headed for Detroit. This is not something to be taken lightly. What about the men and women who subdued the terrorist? Have you pictured it in your head? I have...and it's amazing...right out of a movie. What great people. It's too bad our President failed to acknowledge this foiled attempt...foiled at the hands of average Americans. And yet this terrorist was read his Miranda rights. Is this what Obama is talking about when he suggests "upholding our values"? No terrorist who desires to kill innocent American lives deserves to be treated as a regular citizen. Just like Obama remained on his Christmas vacation enjoying the golf courses in Hawaii after the attempted attack at Christmas, he completely misses another opportunity here.
Obama: The price of college tuition is just one of the burdens facing the middle class. That's why last year I asked Vice President Biden to chair a task force on middle-class families. That's why we're nearly doubling the child care tax credit, and making it easier to save for retirement by giving access to every worker a retirement account and expanding the tax credit for those who start a nest egg.
My Issue: This is a tough one for me personally. Obama's calls to reform are often described as "sweeping" but this is certainly not sweeping when it excludes so many families. Families are as different as their variety of child-care arrangements. Our personal arrangement is for one parent to stay home. We forego the income of a second job and have one parent take on the role of primary care provider for our children. We are ineligible for this savings. Why not create more equitable reform that can benefit more working families?
That's it for now. What were your thoughts? Issues?
P.S. I promise I'm not censoring the comments, although I reserve every right to because it's my personal blog, but there was a comment deleted this morning and if you want to know why, click here.
Source: State of the Union Address
First off Sarah Pallin ugh!
ReplyDeleteSo I really enjoyed the speech. I love having a moderately intelligent and semi innocent president. He seems to see things so simply. Unfortunately all of those jaded republican congressmen who are only interested in their own political agenda and making the president look bad are not going to make it easy on him. My main issue with last night was that despite the fact that it is obvious that Obama is trying to do what he said he would do (Healthcare, Iraq, the economy, tax cuts) but the republican congress are doing whatever they can to block the way for change. (are they afraid?) That makes everything take longer and of course makes the president look bad. He keeps trying to bargain with them, find out what they need or want, but rather than articulating their bottom lines they just say "it won't work" no matter what it is and without giving a better alternative. Come on people let's get some work done instead of sitting back all superior and refusing to do anything. Change is dirty and hard but that is what America used to be so good at. Let's do it again!