While I simply could not bring myself to watch last night's State of the Union, out of fear of losing my rather expensive dinner from earlier in the evening, I have been traveling around the web seeking out some of those whose opinions I trust. The general consensus seems to be that there really wasn't much there, there and what there was there was more the same call for more spending that we've been hearing for the last four years. And it wasn’t really delivered in typical Barry fashion. Apparently Barry floated yet another rather grandiose list of ideas attached to his promise that none of them would add "not one dime" to our already ballooning deficit. First out of Barry's little bag of rhetoric was his promise to create new jobs without increasing the federal deficit. And in so doing Barry called for a "smarter government" not a bigger one to help revive a "rising thriving middle class" during his State of the Union address. Be that as it Barry, but Barry seems determined to make government bigger, a lot bigger!
Next came mention of what's become an oldie but a goodie when it comes to those out on the left with Barry making good on his campaign promise to make mythical climate change more of a priority in his second term. He called on Congress to do more to 'invest,' or to essentially waste even more of our very scarce financial resources, on clean energy as an effort to combat what we all know is non-existent global warming. At least of the manmade variety. And appearing undaunted in his effort to shove this, too, down our throats, Barry said, "[F]or the sake of our children and our future, we must do more to combat climate change." Yes by all means, we must do it for the children. He went on to say, "Yes, it’s true that no single event makes a trend. But the fact is, the 12 hottest years on record have all come in the last 15. Heat waves, droughts, wildfires, and floods – all are now more frequent and more intense." Yes, and have nothing to do with manmade global warming.
And then in what I guess was an effort to attach as many natural disasters as his speech writer could come up with, he then said, "We can choose to believe that Superstorm Sandy, and the most severe drought in decades, and the worst wildfires some states have ever seen were all just a freak coincidence." And he continued, "Or we can choose to believe in the overwhelming judgment of science – and act before it’s too late." And then of course there was the ever present threat that If Congress refuses to act "soon," Barry said he was prepared to go around lawmakers and act through executive orders to "reduce pollution, repair our communities from the consequences of climate change and speed the transition to more sustainable forms of energy." Repair our communities from the consequences of 'climate change?' Consequences to our communities? What the Hell is he talking about?
And of course gun control figured pretty predominately in Barry speech and was another key theme in Barry’s State of the Union address. And in once again in an attempt to use the bodies of dead children, Barry set about invoking the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre and 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton to make his case for new gun laws. He said, "Of course, what I’ve said tonight matters little if we don’t come together to protect our most precious resource – our children." Adding, "It has been two months since Newtown. I know this is not the first time this country has debated how to reduce gun violence. But this time is different. Overwhelming majorities of Americans, Americans who believe in the 2nd Amendment, have come together around commonsense reform, like background checks that will make it harder for criminals to get their hands on a gun." He failed to mention his rather lackluster effort in enforcing current gun laws, however.
He invited young Hadiya’s parents to Tuesday’s State of the Union address because "they deserve a vote." Personally, had I been Hadiya's parents I would have, and not so politely, refused to attend. I would not be one to allow my dead child to be used as some political prop by such a sleazy political thug as Barry. To Barry, this dead child is nothing more than a tool to be used. And he did. He then proceeded to list all the tragic shootings that have occurred in the U.S. He spoke to Gabby Giffords and others described solely as being victims of guns and not as victims of crazed individual bent on taking a life. Barry said, "Gabby Giffords deserves a vote. The families of Newtown deserve a vote. The families of Aurora deserve a vote. The Families of Oak Creek and Tucson, and Blacksburg and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence — they deserve a simple vote." He admitted that no law or initiative will prevent every "senseless act of violence," however, argued that something had to be done to make a difference.
And as is usually the case, Barry then chose to speak in what were nothing more vague generalities when he called for the closing of more tax loopholes for those who are, what he deemed as being, "well off and the well connected" to help increase revenue and reduce the deficit. But many those whom I have read and/or listened to, have a rather difficult time in determining exactly what "loopholes" he's might actually be talking about. And sounding almost convincing, or so I'm told, he did reiterate his supposed willingness to tackle entitlement changes, particularly on Medicare, though he has consistently ruled out increasing the eligibility age for the popular benefit program for seniors because the government shouldn’t "make promises it can’t keep." Which ignores, completely, the fact that the promise will ultimately be impossible to keep unless some far reaching changes are made to the program, because despite what Barry and the Democrats may claim, the program is already on life support!
Barry described job creation as being his "North Star," whatever the Hell that means, and implored a divided Congress to center its work on attracting more jobs to the U.S., equipping Americans to compete for those positions and making sure hard work leads to a decent living. "Most Americans…know that broad-based economic growth requires a balanced approach to deficit reduction, with spending cuts and revenue, and with everybody doing their fair share," Barry said. "And that’s the approach I offer tonight." Well when it comes to 'everybody' doing their fair share what about the 50 percent ofus who pay absolutely nothing in the way of an income tax. How fair is that? What makes them entitled to being living off the rest of us? I'm just not seeing how that can, in nay way, be deemed as being far. Frankly I'm getting a little tired of supporting these parasites, regardless of of Barry says.
And then our piss poor excuse for a commander-in-chief argued that "there is much progress to report," with a decade-long war winding down, the American auto industry rebounding and the housing market healing. There's an old say that goes, "When you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit," and that was Barry last night. Especially when he said, "Together, we have cleared away the rubble of crisis, and can say with renewed confidence that the state of our union is stronger." Barry said his proposals to increase spending on manufacturing, infrastructure and clean-energy technologies would be fully paid for, though he was far from being specific about how he would offset the cost of his proposals. "Nothing I’m proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime," Barry said. "It’s not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth."
And just as he did during his first term, Barry pledged to pursue comprehensive immigration reform in his second term. He called for stronger border security, establishing a pathway to citizenship and cutting the red tape for deserving immigrants. "Our economy is stronger when we harness the talents and ingenuity of striving, hopeful immigrants," he said. "And right now, leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, and faith communities all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform." Barry implored lawmakers to break through partisan logjams, asserting that "the greatest nation on Earth cannot keep conducting its business by drifting from one manufactured crisis to the next." Strange that Barry would use that terminology since the one most guilty of manufacturing supposed crises to then not allowed to go to waste, is Barry himself.
"Americans don’t expect government to solve every problem," he said. "They do expect us to forge reasonable compromise where we can." Yet, as is usually the case, Barry offered few signs of being willing to compromise himself, instead doubling down on his calls to create jobs by spending more government money and insisting that lawmakers pay down the deficit through a combination of targeted spending cuts and tax increases. But he offered few specifics on what he wanted to see cut, focusing instead on the need to protect programs that help the middle class, elderly and poor. As I have said before on countless occasions, Democrats do not compromise. They define compromise as slandering the Republican until they finally capitulate and literally hand to the Democrats everything they were demanding. Those on our side need to garner enough courage to play the game the same way.
And on the economy, Barry called for something that has proven time and again to be nothing more than a job killer, the raising the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 by 2015. The minimum wage has been stagnant since 2007, and administration officials said the increase would strengthen purchasing power. Barry, apparently, also wants Congress to approve automatic increases in the wage to keep pace with inflation. Education also figures in Barry’s plans to boost American competitiveness in the global economy. Under his proposal, the federal government would help states provide pre-school for all 4-year-olds. Officials did not provide a cost for the pre-school programs but said the government would provide financial incentives to help states. Of course. Let's spend more money that we don't have. That was pretty much the predominant theme of Barry's silly little speech/
Among the other rather costly initiatives that Barry proposed as being part of his next '5-Year Plan' included such things as a $1 Billion plan to create 15 "manufacturing institutes" that would bring together businesses, universities and the government. If Congress opposes the initiative, Barry plans to use his dictatorial powers to create three institutes ll on his own. Barry also seek the creation of what he calls an "energy security trust" that would use revenue from federal oil and gas leases to support development of clean energy technologies such as biofuels and natural gas. And of course Barry want to waste countless Billions Doubling of renewable energy in the U.S. from wind, solar and geothermal sources by 2020. By the time this ridiculous speech that Barry gave last night was finally over, he had proposed at least 29 new, and unaffordable, government programs.
And in closing, because I fear I've rambled on for far too long, in fiscal year 2008, the year before Barry took office, federal spending was $2.98 trillion, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In fiscal 2013, the current year, OMB estimates federal spending will be $3.80 trillion--an increase of 27.5 percent. Since Barry was first inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2009, the federal government's debt has increase by $5.86 trillion. I thin most of those who may be reading this are fully aware of the fact that this simple cannot continue. There is simply no way that this level of reckless spending can be sustained. And yet, both Barry and various members of his party stand by their claim that we do not have a spending problem. One Democrat genius stated that we don't have a spending problem, what we have is a "paying-for" problem. This is the mentality that we are now up against, and they we must defeat!
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