The address has come and gone, and I have been reviewing it to judge if it changed any minds. The event is always big and historic for its substance and
symbolism. I scanned the audience carefully to see how many I recognized, and if there were any big, historic persons. All I saw were mediocrities, most clad in
the armor of their biases.
The speech was reasoned, intelligent, conciliatory to the Republicans. It certainly was inspiring, especially to America's youth... It didn't change any minds. The bias
armored idealogs didn't open their minds and let the sun shine in. We can expect
two years of trench warfare in Congress. The know-nothings are in the saddle
and they are determined to continue impoverishing the middle class to wipe out big government programs and deficits. How else justify retaining costly tax cuts that benefit mainly the wealthiest 2% of our populace while slashing the basic support for the unemployed or barely subsisting?
The Right is clamoring for deficit reduction. We need that vitally. To get an amount
that is meaningful will demand of us austerity for all, plus increased revenue
from those who can. Bombast and phony measures won't cut it in the real world.
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3 comments:
The speech and the GOP resposnse fails to address the 800 pound gorilla, our out of controll health care costs. Baby boomers are now reaching medicare age and those costs will overwhelm any attempt to reduce our deficit and balooning debt.It will bankrupt us. The GOP goal of privatizing medicare, even if succesfull, which is unlikely, is said to do nothing about the program for those now on the rolls or those who will be up to 10 years from now. That will be too little and too late.
Health care reform, such a blessing to almost all of us only two months ago is now obviously destined to be repealed piece-by-piece which will render our general populace helpless and unrepresented, again.
What bothers me most has been the willingness of the media to broadcast/report on "the contrasting point of view". Several years ago free air time was granted to the spokesman for the opposing party which was an affront to the duties of the Executive branch and should have insulted the general populace, also.
The "State of the Union" is a requirement of the Executive but it was never intended to be the opening of a new debate. Permitting contrasting opinion has always been acceptable but isn't that why Congress was created?
This year the challenges to the president's official report was further diminished by yet another publicly-dispensed contrasting opinion from a representative of "The Tea Party movement", which is neither a politically recognized party or representative of any significant portion of the residents in this culture. Are we crazy? It is no secret that those who declare themselves affiliates of "The Tea Party movement" are simply disenfranchised Republicans. If they are so significant in their disenfranchisement they should form a legitimate party of their own and wait for official recognition by Congress.
Why wasn't equal air time provided to other radicals amongst us? What do the Sunis say, how about Shiites, Hutus, and did anyone even consider the opinion from conservative Jews?
Let's agree to give respect to the defined traditions of our culture and kick all the other radicals out of the picture.
If our Executive branch is "off base" we have a defined way of handling that scenario and extremely highly paid, elected officials to deal with the issue.
President Obama last Tuesday in his State of the union address appeared as a chastened leader after a drubbing in the November election rather than the rock-star politician who swept in 2008 into national consciousness with such clarity of voice and vision.
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