Okay, disclaimer, I’m naturally skeptical of President Obama. If you don’t want to read something skeptical about him and his State of the Union address, don’t read any further….
President Obama gave his fifth State of the Union address Tuesday evening. A lot of commentary has and will be done on it. Much of it was done by my wife on Facebook during the address itself. Me, I’m going to pick up the quotes that caught my ear, that I could get down, and those first impressions I had while hearing them. More of a bullet-point blog rather than a connected narrative:
- “After 12 long years, the war is finally coming to an end” with Al Qaeda taking Fallujah in Iraq. Sounds like a real victory.
- “Let’s make this a year of action, to focus on their lives, their hopes, their aspirations.” Some of us would rather people leave us alone.
“Whenever I can take steps without legislation I will.” There, he admits he is an imperial president.- “Son of a bar-keep is the speaker of the House.” The president used this as an example of advancement, but really, it should be considered a step down. We have elevated public life, when it is private life that should be elevated.
- He offered to help entrepreneurs, and mentioned his administration had given more loans to small businesses. I am sure those loans have enough strings, and more regulations and paperwork. Decreasing taxes and regulations would do a lot more for business than loans with strings.
- Federal research led to the technologies behind Google and the smart phones. Again, government claiming credit. But you cannot focus that research. It is the accidental associations of private research that the public cannot direct that made Google and smart phones happen.
- “The debate is settled, climate change is a fact.” Now he is the arbiter of scientific debate. What happened to freedom of research and scientific inquiry? That obviously isn’t what he means to do with all those Federal research dollars he wants. Only people who agree with the government view will get grants.
- “Women deserve equal pay for equal work.” Well, once you factor in the differences of experience and education, studies show they actually are equal. “They deserve to have a baby without sacrificing their job….” Here he means that they deserve to be more than equal.
- He also challenged congress to raise the minimum wage, then subtly suggested it was the same thing as the example he had of an employer choosing to raise its employees wages. “Businesses have done it on their own,” isn’t an example of raising the minimum wage, but an example of market forces at work.
- “We need to stand up for everyone’s right to vote.” The best way to stand up for people’s rights is to defend against voter fraud, against the dilution of their franchise. Simple, clear, voter identification that isn’t any worse than what we all have to do to be able to drive a car.
- He also talked about “standing up for the lives that gun violence steals from us each day” Since those shootings seem to take place in gun free zones, the elimination of gun free zones might be a good way to start.
- “I will reform our surveillance programs” since I got my hand caught in the cookie jar spying into everyone’s lives.
- “We will close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.” Didn’t he promise this in his first campaign for president? What is taking him so long?
- “These negotiations (with Iran) don’t rely on trust (but) on verifiable action… If Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy could negotiate with the Soviet Union… a strong and powerful US should be able to negotiate with a less powerful (Iran).” –What I thought of when he said this was a scene for Babylon 5 where Londo Mollari gives Vir Cotto the opportunity to negotiate on behalf of the great Centauri Republic. His admonition “Don’t give away the homeworld.” I have about the same amount of confidence.
At The Rainbow 