State of the Union Address

Thoughts on the Obama’s first state of the Union Address

• Bank Bail Out – He said one thing that united us all was that we hated the bank bail out.  He’s right.  Really would have loved to have seen that money go to people, pay off people’s mortgages, student loans, etc.  Imagine how much money people could put towards the economy if they didn’t have to worry about those debts.
• Tax Cuts – I seriously hate the concept of Tax Cuts and how much “Washington” thinks this is what we want.  I normally do not really see much benefit from any tax cuts and would so much rather have the government keep that money if they would provide something like universal health care.
• Recovery Act/Stimulus Package – After two years of recession the economy is growing again.  I hope that’s right because I need a new job as do several of my friends who’ve been unemployed forever.  And African American's are insanely negatively impacted by the “recession.” 
• New Jobs Bill – He’s calling for one, but what will it be? True engine of job creation will be America’s businesses – focus on small business.  Really wonder how that will happen, especially with the Supreme Court ruling giving so much power to big business.  Not really sure how we’re going to step away from this corporatocracy.
• Clean energy – ugh – this seems like a catch phrase that doesn’t mean anything.
• Slash tax breaks for companies who ship jobs overseas and give tax breaks to companies who keep jobs in America
• House passed a jobs bill.  Urges Senate to do the same. Wow that gets happy excited standing ovations.
• Full employment – lay a foundation… can’t afford economic expansion – where jobs grew more slowly, income declined, education costs at an all time high, prosperity built on housing bubble and speculation. 
• How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold?  (Hmm… sounds like a question all oppressed peoples in our country have been asking for centuries, yet I suspect we won’t really be addressing oppression and poverty.)
• Side note – is there some sort of sign when to stand up.  You can also tell party not only by standing, but by the irritated sarcastic looks the Republicans have.  When will we reach a place where we can respect the members of the opposing parties who are our leaders.  I’m just a guilty, I thought Bush was one of the biggest idiots ever.  I cried when Reagan was re-elected.  But it does seem like when you’re in Congress there is a level of deference you should pay to the President, especially during the State of the Union Address.
• No second place for America – is it so wrong that I dislike this kind of patriotism?  Can we not be a human race that thinks we all should have the ability to live in a world without violence, where basic needs are met, regardless of the country you were born in?
• Guard against recklessness that nearly brought down our economy.  We can’t allow financial institutions to take risks that threaten the whole economy. 
• House passed a bill lobbyists trying to kill it.
• Side note: the Senate needs to get off its ass and make similar progress as the house.  Stop wasting your majority and show that we can be a nation that looks out for its citizens.
• Back to clean energy – ugh – safe clean nuclear power plants in this country.  There is no such thing as safe nuclear energy.  Offshore oil and gas development – sucky.  Not so green solutions.
• Some disagree with the overwhelming evidence on climate change (nice dig).  Providing incentives are the right thing to do for our economy, the nation that leads clean energy will be the nation that leads the global economy and America must be that nation (again, I’m so not patriotic enough – this whole environment thing is a problem that must be addressed on a global level). 
• Double efforts – increase that will support 2 million jobs in America. Launching a national export initiative – help farmers increase their exports and something about national security.  Seek new markets aggressively.  Can’t sit by while others create trade deals.
• Enforce agreements so trading partners play by the rules (like forcing Canada to drill for oil despite the insane negative effectives it will have on their ecological system????)
• Invest in skills and education of our people
• Any chance you’ll forgive my student loans, because wow those are crippling and limit my ability to give back to the community.
• Turning around failing schools… Hmmm… Wonder if maybe youth in poor schools might have more incentive to perform if college could be an option – priced out of everything now.
• Revitalize community colleges
• Make college more affordable – but how?  Colleges are hurting.  Programs are being cut.  Businesses own research.
• Only required to pay 10% of income and forgive if you do 10 years of public service.  I like that.  10% of my income would be great.  But what about private education loans?  Colleges and Universities have to cut their own costs (hmm… seems like arts will be lost and not football programs).
• Homes – Take out loans and reduce payment, more affordable mortgages.  What about actually finding a way to lower the cost of home ownership.  Wasn’t too long ago that a family could afford to pay off a home in five years because the costs were more reasonable than they are now.
• Clear a few things up.  Health Care.
• Didn’t take it on because it’s good politics.  Took on Health Care because of stories he’s heard.  Patients denied coverage, families, even those with Health Care one illness away from financial ruin.  Protect from worst practices.  Choose affordable health care plan.
• Michele Obama attacking childhood obesity and make kids health.  (She seems a little uncomfortable in the spotlight).
• CBO – approach would bring down deficit by $1 trillion over next two decades.
• Complex issue, longer debated, taking blame for not explaining it better.  Process left most Americans wondering what’s in it for me.
• By the time he’s finished speaking more Americans will lose health care.  Will not walk away from these Americans and neither should the people in this chamber.  Republicans still sitting down.
• Doctors, nurses, etc., consider this a vast improvement, but if anyone has a better idea from either party let him know. 
• (There’s Loche, Washington’s former governor.)
• Don’t walk away, let’s find a way to come together and finish it for the American people, let’s get it done. Let’s get it done. 
• Massive Fiscal Hole – a challenge that makes all others more difficult to solve.
• Spending – at the beginning of 2000, America had a gov’t surpluss – by the time he took office, no longer there – not paying for two wars, tax cuts, prescription plan, recession – all this before he walked in the door (McCain making side talk).
• If we had taken office in ordinary times, would have liked to bring down the deficit, and efforts to address crisis have added $1trillion – right thing to do.  Federal government needs to tighten its belt.  Here’s the thing, the government should always be looking to make sure that it isn’t wasting money, but it should never give up it’s responsibility of being the safety net to people. 
• Discretionary funding will be curbed.  Work within a budget to get what we need and sacrifice what we don’t.  Washington politics again.  All one has to do is look at the stimulus package to see that when it comes to trying to get votes people will be able to pork barrel and all the pretty talk in the world isn’t going to change that.
• Cost of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will continue to skyrocket.  Can’t be a Washington gimmick to solve problem, commission will have to solve problems by a deadline.  But Senate blocked a bill – but he’ll create through executive order because he refuses to pass the problem onto another generation of Americans.
• Senate should restore the pay as you go law.
• Some will argue that we can’t address while so many still hurting – he agrees that’s why it won’t take place till next year.  But how on earth do we know where we’ll be next year.  I really don’t see that many improvements yet, I’m still scared about what will happen any day now that will make me without a job and no way to fill it.  I just got an email from a friend about a friend of hers who was laid off.  We’re not in a better place yet. 
• We face more than a deficit of dollars, face a deficit of trust, deep corrosive doubts about how Washington works, take action on both ends, reduce impact of lobbyists, do work openly, give people to government they deserve.
• White House posts visitors on line, excluded lobbyists from boards or commissions.  Require lobbyists to disclose each contact, curb ability to spend.
• Last week the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that will open flood gates.  Supreme Court focused in on for that comment, they’re not standing.  Urge Congress to pass a bill that corrects problems
• Continue down path that addresses ear mark reforms.  Will that ever be possible?  Publish all earmarks online for a vote.  Really, like that makes a difference.  Like seeing it will make much of a difference.  The thing about earmarks is that they are designed to benefit the state the Congressional Representative comes from.  Murray gets Boeing money, that benefits Washington State.  Posting it is just proof about working for her state, the people who vote her in.
• We can’t wage a perpetual campaign – to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about the other side.  Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can.  The confirmation of well qualified public officials shouldn’t be held hostage to pet projects or a few individual senators. These politics stop either party from helping the American people.  Does anyone hear this?  Are Congressional representatives really care?  Are they there to help the American people?  If they can’t pass health care because so many or in the pockets of the insurance industry are they really representing us? 
• If Republicans are going to insist that there is a super majority, then the responsibility is yours to govern, we were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions.  Show let’s show the American people we can do it together.  Wants to begin monthly meetings with Democrats and Republicans.
• No issues has united this country more than our security.  Wow am I so far at the margins, that this seems like bullshit?  It united us in trying to help each other, but not in policy.  Not in figuring out how to recover and respond.  I was not united in the detention centers where the main criteria seemed to be racial profiling.  I was so far from on board for the wars.  I do not believe in these wars.  I do not believe in torture.  I do not think it’s cool to talk about success in terms of killing Al Queda.  I want justice, the justice that comes through fair trials, through reconciliation, through finding ways to improve the lives of all people so that the temptation to resort to violence is eliminated.
• Obama promised to end this war and that’s what he’s doing as president.  Combat troops will be out by August.  Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it, like we’ll ever really be out.  Like all of our troops will come home.  Like we’re going to end imperialism and not keep bases everywhere, including Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Need resources in war and when they come home.  Neither of which is or has ever been provided.  Make no mistake, our military is also about a class war, send the poor off to die, bring them home and leave them homeless and without resources to address the incredible psychological harm that occurs from the military industrial complex and taking of a human life.
• Reduce stock piles and launches.  Arms control treaties – farthest reaching in nearly two decades.  April’s nuclear summit – securing all vulnerable nuclear materials so they never fall into the hands of terrorists.  I totally hate the obscure idea of terrorists- who defines what a terrorist is anyway.  Just look at Israel and Palestine to see how hard knowing who is a terrorist and who is a legitimate government engaging in legitimate government actions.
•  America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity.  Gotta love ideals. Greatest strength is our ideals.  That’s kind of scary given how much ideals vary on political ideology. 
• Civil Rights division – once again prosecuting civil rights violations. 
• Finally strengthened laws for hate crimes (oooh goodies lock more people up).
• Going to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell this year. 
• Crack down on violations of Equal Pay Laws
• Fix broken immigration system. Vaguey vaguerson
• Ideals and values built America (slavery, indentured servitude, a class system that only allowed certain people to vote, exclusion of women into the political sphere – so many great ideals… )
• More that t.v. pundits reduce serious issues into soundbites… no wonder there is so much cynicism out there.  Seriously don’t blame the media, if government would get some shit done, that would totally combat the media’s cynicism.
• Shouldn’t focus on poll numbers, but doing what’s best for the next generation.  If people who made those decisions 50 years ago, 100 years ago, or 200 years ago.  Seriously dude, you’re a history buff, people haven’t looked towards the future and people.  Again slavery, segregation, gender discrimination and violence allowed.  The failure to pass health care reform for more than a decade.  The insane gap between what we will spend to kill versus the amount will spend on education and basic human services.
• Spirit lives on in you, its people. A new year, a new decade, we don’t quit. Seize the moment.

And then the end.  Can’t lie, I can’t bring myself to watch the Republican response.