The State of the Union Address

Did Groundhog Day come early this year? The State of the Union address was eerily reminiscent of last year’s speech. The agenda being pushed remained the same – a jobs bill (can’t use that nasty word stimulus this year), the Cap + Trade energy bill, the health care bill (even though the public has made it clear it does not want it), more big spending, and little emphasis on national security. Has the President been living in a bubble or is he just unwilling to hear the American people? All he did was recycle last year’s speech.

Some of his remarks were jaw-dropping. He wants Congress to “continue down the path of earmark reform.” Is this the same President that happily signed bills with 9,000 earmarks and 5,000 earmarks? There has been no earmark reform. He’s “trimmed spending?" What he has done is quadruple the debt with wild, out of control spending. He states “the worst of the storm has passed.” I don’t think so and most of America agrees with me. He still states government will be “transparent.” What I have seen is backroom deals made behind closed doors. He continues making the same old promises. Promises he won’t deliver on. There is a big disconnect between what he says and what he does.

The President said that he should have explained the health care bill better. He explained it over and over and over again. He thought that, of course, people would agree with him if only they were smart enough to understand. How arrogant! People just did not accept the bill. They do not want the federal government to control their health care or their health care decisions.

There were some good proposals in the speech. The tax burden on small businesses was to be lessened. Targeted individual tax cuts were proposed, but we need broad-based individual tax cuts. Washington needs to stop picking winners and losers in the tax game and treat the people equally. The President said he would consider building more nuclear energy facilities; a greater use of clean coal; and off-shore drilling. Of course he said this when he was campaigning. I’ll believe this when the oil starts flowing.

Apparently the President is tone-deaf to the voice of the American people. When he says he will continue to fight for his agenda, does he realize what he is fighting is the will of the American people? Does Congress realize this? We elected our Congressmen and women to represent us. Will they truly represent us? This remains to be seen.

Signed,
The Electorate