State of the Union # 2 - More of the Same

The State of the Union address is usually filled with optimism, platitudes, promises, appeal to our nationalism and pride, and examples of American heroism and success stories. President Obama did not let us down in this regard. What it didn’t have was a sense of the real world. He showed no sense of urgency about the economy and our growing debt. In fact, he said “Now that the worst of the recession is over we need to address the question of deficit spending”. Everyone knows this remark is ridiculous and that if the economy is showing any signs of improvement it’s because of the November election and extension of the Bush tax cuts for two years, not his policies.

The unemployment rate and housing market continue to show us that the worst is not over. His main proposal to address the debt is to freeze government spending for the next 5 years. That gets us $400B after he just added $3 trillion to the debt in the last 2 years. How’s that for a frontal attack! And all this after he’s just added thousands of people to the federal payroll as well. Since federal government spending has increased 84% (stimulus included) in the last two years, a freeze is absolutely worthless.

His comment about our corporate tax rate as being too high to be competitive is something that conservatives have been saying for years. However, he said we need to cut the rate without adding to the deficit. This means that the government takes back an equivalent amount and, therefore, some companies benefit and others don’t. The government gets to decide who wins and who loses. You can bet the evil oil companies and those greedy health insurance companies will pay, and companies like GE, GM, alternative energy, etc will benefit. More hot wind here!

We continue to hear about simplifying the tax code, transparency in government by putting spending online now for all to see, trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama (as long as the American worker is protected), all promises he’s made during his campaign and in the last State of the Union speech but never acts upon.

His comments about our eroding infrastructure were really laughable. He says we are corroding away while China and Korea outspends us on infrastructure. Well, Mr. President, that’s because they’ve done nothing in infrastructure for the last 50 years! What do you expect? And what happened to that $875B in stimulus money that was supposed to go to infrastructure. Something doesn’t smell right here.

Well, you get the idea, don’t you? The biggest applause line was about the end of the Iraq war and our great military, and you know who should get the credit for that. I seem to recall he voted against funding that war and was against the “surge”.

He concluded his speech on the optimistic note of acheiving the American dream and almost had Speaker Boehner have another emotional breakdown. The irony is that only a few months ago he said the next generation may have to settle for less than previous generations.

This President continues to fail to connect with the American people and, as they say, “if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig”. I’m afraid Mr. Obama failed to inspire me last night.

Sarah and Jeb - The More I See the Better They Look

It’s clear that the new Republican majority in the House will result in a significant change in the direction this country is moving. The conservatives now control the agenda in Congress and they have considerable leverage to put an end to the reckless spending and waste that has characterize the Democratic controlled Congress since 2006.

The November election and the extension of the Bush tax cuts have already had an impact on business and consumer confidence and this has been reflected in the recent rise in the stock market, which just hit a 2-year high last week. No doubt Mr. Obama will soon claim that his stimulus bill and economic policy are responsible for this new –found confidence, but the American public is smart enough to know what is driving the recent surge of optimism.

With the Republicans beginning to jockey for position in the race to challenge Obama in 2012, my attention in recent weeks has been to observe their behavior and the reaction of the main street media, particularly the far left media. I notice that there is a concerted move to label the expected standard-bearers as the Republican “establishment”. This covers Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee, and the Rove types which attempts to separate them from the Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin. I think we will see more of this as the campaign heats up and I believe it to be a tactical error on the part of the left.

I must say that the left’s obsession with Sarah Palin is fascinating. They obviously fear her and will do anything to denigrate her skills and intelligence to create an image that she is not qualified for the presidency. Of course, Obama was no more qualified when he started his run for the presidency; the only difference is that he had a higher profile because he was a Senator and was not located in Alaska.

As I observe Palin’s handling of the media and listen to her improving rhetoric, I must say she looks better as time goes on. I know many of you may gag at that comment, but just wait. Another potential nominee who I think will be a great candidate is Jeb Bush. Did I hear somebody scream out there? Another Bush, people don’t want a Bush, it will never happen!

As a Florida resident, I can tell you he was an outstanding governor. He would capture the large Hispanic vote, is more articulate than his father or brother, and is well versed on the key domestic issues like education, immigration, fiscal integrity, and national energy. He also has close relations with the key military leaders of our effort in the Mid-East who operate out of Tampa. If he wants to run, he’d be a hellava candidate. Just listen and watch when you see him on the news.

Well, that’s my early speculation. Watch Palin and Jeb Bush! I bet you think I’m crazy.