We are Strong, We are Resilient, We are American
We are Strong, We are Resilient, We are American
This was one of the phrases that closed Wednesday night’s State of the Union address given by President Barack Obama. It was written to him in a letter, and I couldn’t agree more. However, in his speech to a joint session of congress, I failed to see how his policies have and will make us strong.
“The worst of the storm has passed,” were the words he used to describe the economy. I’m not sure that he is accurate in that statement. I haven’t done the research on this, but I haven’t seen the economy recovering. Ask anyone who is looking for a job. Mr. President, if you’re going to tell us that things are getting better, please have some facts to back it up.
The one fact I do remember him presenting was his statement that two million people are working as construction workers, teachers and police officers because of the recovery act. Perhaps that served to provide some jobs. But the jobs provided did not offset the unemployment rate which rose steadily over the year. In my job, if things get worse, but I tell my boss that things could have been even worse than they are if I hadn’t done something, I’d still probably get fired.
There will be new jobs in 2010, though. President Obama is going to create his own version of the New Deal. Putting unemployed Americans to work building up the infrastructure of the US. If he took a good look at history he would see that it was WWII which brought us out of the depression, not President Roosevelt’s policies. The president who successfully brought us out of a recession was Ronald Reagan – maybe he should take some advice from him.
I did have a revelation about our President, though. When it comes to giving money to Americans, he wants it to be a one time deal. He calls them tax cuts, but technically they’re tax credits. It is a one time amount that is given to some Americans, and there is no obligation for the Federal Government to give them that money again. That is not a tax cut. However, when it comes to taking money, he doesn’t want to require one time fees from companies like the banks which took stimulus money, he wants to impose fees which do not have a specific end date in sight. Is that fair?
Don’t worry, though, President Obama is working to alleviate the “burdens” of the middle class. I would likely be considered lower middle class. I have cable. I have three televisions in my home and my husband and I both drive reliable, foreign made cars. The burden is that people in our country have begun to feel entitled to a lifestyle that is beyond their means, expecting the government to help them out with that. Owning your own house is a privilege. Having a college education is a privilege. Having healthcare is more important than an iPhone and cable, so perhaps these “burdened” middle class folks should re-evaluate their spending, rather than looking to the government to bail them out.
I finally agreed with something he said when he spoke about energy. Building safe, clean, nuclear plants. Good idea! Opening some off shore drilling for oil. Haven’t the Republicans been asking for that for years? And then he started to talk about his energy bill and climate change. And that some folks want to disregard the overwhelming evidence about it. Does he not remember that recently it came out that the overwhelming evidence he is talking about very well may be completely false?
Just when I thought I could take no more, he attacked both the Republican party and the Supreme Court. During the State of the Union address. Which was broadcasted across the country. First of all, he is wrong about the Supreme Court decision. The Supreme Court did not turn over the part of the finance bill which dealt with foreign companies, only domestic. Companies from foreign countries will not be investing in our elections.
Second, he spoke, seemingly to both parties, telling them that they should put aside their differences and vote based upon merit, to not “just say no because you can.” Then he mentioned that since the Democrats have an overwhelming majority in the Senate that people expect them to solve problems. But because the Republicans are requiring 60 votes to pass things in the Senate, it is also their responsibility to govern, instead of just saying no all the time. I’m pretty sure the Republican Senators know that it is their responsibility to govern. I’m surprised there were no outbursts at that statement, as I know many of the Republicans there likely cringed at that statement.
The recent election in Massachusetts should have been a sign to President Obama that support for the Democratic party is waning and that he would be well served to focus on some bi-partisan legislation – or at least a speech that does not inflame everyone who is in the Republican party, and, I’m sure, many of the undecided voters as well as some Democrats. President Obama, I was not impressed.
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One Comment
Well said Katrina!