"I'm not sure how we'll reach that better place beyond the horizon, but I know we'll get there. I know we will."
Alright, let's discuss last night's State of the Union speech. I liked some things about it and I hated some points about it. I will say this year's speech was levels better than last year's Rex Ryan-like pep talk turned atrocity and frankly, I feel this was his best speech as of yet. This speech had more substance than ever, but still not enough for me to shut my mouth. Still too much pretty rhetoric and not enough realistic solutions. He really showed me how much of a typical politician he is by easing over to the center to appease the right and in turn alienating the progressive base.
Now I can truly appreciate his ability to bring both sides together for common good, but because Conservatives have gained the House, he is leaning to the right in his policies. Politically, that's a very smart thing to do. He's a smart man approaching re-election. He needs to show voters he can unify the country, but many political philosophies lack principle. These policies/agendas lack the principles he campaigned on. They lack the principles of the left.
So I'm not going to make this a beat down session because he did make some great points on key issues in which I liked. What were they?
- I absolutely love the plan for a 5 year spending freeze. This plan calls for saving $78 billion in Defense spending. Obama is under pressure from the public and lawmakers to cut spending. Several Republican lawmakers have proposed cutting $100 billion from Obama's budget for the current year. The move is almost identical to the freeze Obama called for in his address to the nation last year at this time — his current proposal would cover five years, not three years — and ultimately it may have little effect. Congress decides the budget on its own terms, and Obama has even less sway than he did in his first two years on the job now that Republicans have taken control of the House. And might I add, you could hear a pin drop when Obama presented this plan.
- Barack also said that the very same Tax Cuts for the wealthy 2 percent that he approved just a month ago, will not be extended in 2012. That was a good thing to hear, but Barack is good at saying stuff but not doing it (Gitmo). We will have to wait and see if he is serious about that. Personally, I'm on the fence. When we give tax cuts to the well-to-do and do nothing for the poor and working class, the gap between the have and have-nots spreads even more.
- Barack is a nerd. Maybe not a policy nerd like Bill Clinton, but he's bright. He's a professor. I personally think he's a better professor than president, but that's not the issue. I love how he encouraged our children to serve their country through teaching. "We have to our kids that it's not the winner of the Super Bowl who deserves to be celebrated but the winner of the science fair." I wonder if he would still feel that way had the Bears made the Super Bowl. Moving on, we have to get our brightest minds in the classroom molding our kids' brains, but we have to give them more incentive. I will touch on that later.
- Barack boldly said he would veto any earmarked bill that comes to his desk. Do I believe him? Absolutely not, but he said it so now I have more things to hold him accountable for. Gives me more to blog about.
- He also mentioned immigration reform. We educate bright minds and ship them away. That's pretty stupid. In a country where a deranged lunatic can buy guns and bullets at Wal-Mart hours before he murders everybody on Aisle 3, what's wrong with allowing "American born immigrants" to make a living in this country?
I know, I know. Many of you are surprised that I actually had something positive to say about his speech. I've told you folks many times that I like the man, I just hate his policies. There's is a difference. Hate the deed; not the doer. That being said, what are my critiques of the speech? Have a seat. We're gonna be here a while. Let me grab a Snickers.
- "America still has the most prosperous economy in the world." If that ain't a lie, I don't know what is. As of October 2010, according to the US Treasury, China owns $906.8 billion of U.S. debt. That's not prosperous. The national deficit is $14.5 trillion. That ain't prosperous. Unemployment rate is 9.1 % as of December 2010. That means 28,210,000 Americans don't have jobs. That ain't prosperous folks. No reason to lie about it.
- There was no mention of the poor and destitute. 43 million Americans living in poverty and no mention of them? 8 million of those folk are our precious children and no mention of them?
- He wants Congress to give corporate tax breaks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So you just signed off on tax breaks to the wealthy that will account for a big chunk of the budget and now corporate tax cuts? Who do you think are the owners of these corporations? The same people who just got tax relief last month! So the rich basically will pay no taxes for the next two years while the poor folk who voted Obama in office are digging for lunch in a local dumpster. This guy is a joke.
- Earmarks. I know what he said about them, but I think he's full of it.
- Race to the Top. or shall we call it Wall Street meets Sesame Street. If you're not convinced by now that Obama is in bed with Wall Street and privitization, then you are naive and you should stop reading right now. He talked about competing and competitiveness all night. Out-innovate. Out-educate. "If you show us the most innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement, we'll show you the money."
We'll show you the money. Jerry Maguire politics. I thought he was supposed to change that? Well Mr. President, the fallacy in your plan is the money is going to the wrong place. Don't load up one school with millions and forget about others. Its not the students' fault, its the teacher's fault. How do we rid the classrooms of poor teachers and attract the best minds away from Wall Street to Sesame Street? You raise the standards and qualifications to teach our children and then YOU HAVE TO PAY THE TEACHERS ON THE SAME LEVEL AS ENGINEERS AND INVESTMENT BANKERS. Teachers average $35K while bankers and engineers make an excess of $100K. And you want our children to enlist and fight on the battlefield of education for peanuts? You're out of your mind Mr. President! Our teachers are OVERWORKED AND UNDERPAID. YOU WANT TO BE COMPETITIVE? YOU WANT TO SURPASS CHINA WHEN IT COMES TO EDUCATION? THE SOLUTION IS VERY SIMPLE. SHOW THE TEACHERS THE MONEY, PAL.
There you have it folks. My thoughts on the speech. I have no hope for this President. I'm sorry. He's shown me enough. I rate the speech a C-. A lot of fluff and no substance as always. But at least he looked at the camera. Thanks for reading my friends! God bless you!
