Hello again readers,
Here is my take on President's 2011 SOTU address. I thought it was a good speech and he spoke about a lot of issues. There is certainly no question about his ability to deliver a good speech; the content is a whole different issue. I still feel like he fails to connect with the American people. It sounded like another campaign speech full of promises he won't keep. The other thing that bothered me was how Obama tried to remove himself from any blame when it comes to playing politics. He tried to write if off as just party disagreements that he has nothing to do with. Let's look at the talking points. I put the President's words in quotations and typed my response below each section.
1. One Small Correction: "It’s no secret that those of us here tonight have had our differences over the last two years. The debates have been contentious; we have fought fiercely for our beliefs. And that’s a good thing. That’s what a robust democracy demands."
Actually Mr. President, We are not a democracy, we are a Republic. Just thought you might want to know that.
2.The AZ Tragedy: "That’s what helps set us apart as a nation.
But there's a reason the tragedy in Tucson gave us pause. Amid all the noise and passions and rancor of our public debate, Tucson reminded us that no matter who we are or where we come from, each of us is a part of something greater – something more consequential than party or political preference."
Mr. President, I agree with you that the shootings in AZ were a horrible tragedy. I also agree that there was a lot of political spin and finger pointing following the shooting. But let's be honest shall we? How can you possibly say that the tragedy reminds us that we are "something more consequential than party or political preference?" It was your party that just hours after, accused Sarah Palin of being the motive behind the AZ shooting. Where was your criticism of that? Remember this is also the same President that said "Republicans will have to ride in the back of the bus" I'm not buying his "unity" speech.
3. The Recovery: "We are poised for progress. Two years after the worst recession most of us have ever known, the stock market has come roaring back. Corporate profits are up. The economy is growing again. But we have never measured progress by these yardsticks alone. We measure progress by the success of our people. By the jobs they can find and the quality of life those jobs offer. By the prospects of a small business owner who dreams of turning a good idea into a thriving enterprise. By the opportunities for a better life that we pass on to our children."
How can he possibly say that corporate profits are a gauge for economic success? When for the past 2yrs he has taken every opportunity to tell us that corporations are evil and greedy. He likes to talk about the small business owner. Let's not forget it was just over 1 Month ago that Obama was trying to raise taxes on those very same "small business owners" Don't think that they will forget that in 2012 Mr. President.
4. Free Enterprise: "But because it’s not always profitable for companies to invest in basic research, throughout history our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. That’s what planted the seeds for the Internet. That’s what helped make possible things like computer chips and GPS."
I guess he's referring to the free market that he hates so much and has tried to kill over the last 2yrs. He really talks out of both sides of his mouth. You can't be a supporter of the free market and in the same breath say the Government has provided the support for innovation thought our history. I don't recall Henry Ford or Bill Gates giving the Government the credit for their success. I know it's hard to for a liberal to understand but, Government doesn't encourage innovation, it gets in the way.
5. Education: "The biggest impact on a child’s success comes from the man or woman at the front of the classroom. In South Korea, teachers are known as “nation builders.” Here in America, it’s time we treated the people who educate our children with the same level of respect. We want to reward good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones."
I agree with everything he said here. I don't care for the comparison to South Korea, but I can live with that. The problem here is, that as we all know Obama is a big supporter of unions. If he truly wants to improve the quality of our teachers, we need to reform or better yet, get rid of teachers unions. Unions do exactly the opposite of what Mr. Obama wants to accomplish, they protect the under performers and lump everyone together in some kind of one size fits all labor contract. Most only reward teachers because of tenure not quality. They provide no incentive to strive for excellence. Before Obama talks about improving education, he better look at his union buddies first.
6. Jobs: "Our infrastructure used to be the best – but our lead has slipped. South Korean homes now have greater Internet access than we do. Countries in Europe and Russia invest more in their roads and railways than we do. China is building faster trains and newer airports. Meanwhile, when our own engineers graded our nation’s infrastructure, they gave us a “D.”
The President offered very little on the subject of unemployment. He pounded that same old infrastructure drum, roads, bridges and railroads. I thought that's what we spent almost 1 Trillion dollars for in 2008 with the Stimulus bill? How many times is he going to try to sell us on the myth that our economic recovery will be based on essentially road construction jobs? How about tax cuts or offshore drilling for starters? Or maybe look at a fair tax system. You can't expect our business owners to start hiring when they don't even know what their tax burden will be 2yrs from now. He really can't be that oblivious can he?
7. Health Care: "Now, I’ve heard rumors that a few of you have some concerns about the new health care law. So let me be the first to say that anything can be improved. If you have ideas about how to improve this law by making care better or more affordable, I am eager to work with you. We can start right now by correcting a flaw in the legislation that has placed an unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses."
I can't stand the arrogance he showed by making a joke out of this. This one is simple. The American people don't want Obamacare. There is no doubt we need health reform, but not this kind. By the way Mr. President, if you were really interested in ideas, you would have included more people in the debate. You and your party passed the bill that you wanted simply because you could. Let's not try to act like you're interested in anyone else's opinion.
My summary is this: Obama once again missed an opportunity to change course and lead the Nation. He instead recycled old talking points and promises. He tried to appear more as a moderate President by talking about the free market ect.. But underneath the pretty words was the same socialistic ideology.
