It was like a zookeeper navigating his way through the enclosed jungle yesterday evening as President Obama navigated his way to the podium. The Republicans put on their rigid plastic smiles, and so did the Democrats for that matter.
The state of the union is something of Obama’s shining moment for the year, when he gets to use one of his greatest skills, public speaking, and everyone has to listen. He delivered a well-targeted speech this time around, seeming to know exactly what the Republicans were saying about him behind his back in the debates.
The speech ranged from promises of refinancing options for mortgage carriers to tax reforms to increase the job market in the United States, and reward companies for “in-sourcing” not “out-sourcing”.
One of the most surprising statements Obama made was that he wants to change education law to make it so students have to stay in high school until they graduate, or turn 18. This brings up a whole host of other questions, but he is correct is alleging that people who graduate high school go on to make much better livings, except Johnny Depp of course.
In Oregon the dropout rate is not nearly as bad as in the rest of the country, with Oregon at 3.4% compared to the national average around 8%. The problem is letting students give up on their futures before they’re old enough to realize what they’re doing.
What Obama did not address, and what will surely arise in coming chastising, is the problem with the NDAA. This act which helps fund the military, and put sanctions on Iran, also carries the despicable allowance for the government to detain anyone suspected of being a terrorist, or associated with a possible terrorist, indefinitely.
Ron Paul recently brought a bill to Washington D.C. which would amend section 1021 of the NDAA to have that clause removed. Now, Ron Paul is considered by many to be about as useful as a mascot at a football game, but if his history serves any example, he does not bring legislation for review unless he means it.
The Republican response to the state of the union was both timid and yet somehow accusatory. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels started the speech saluting Obama on foreign policy and education, and later went on to contradict FDR in saying you can’t fix an economy (like they did in the great depression) by offering more government jobs.
He went on develop the speech into what some called “fear mongering” by saying 2012 may be our last chance to fix the economy before an all out failure, such as what’s happening in Greece with around 20% unemployment. It doesn’t seem we’re that close behind them if you actually look at the statistics though, as Daniels claims the amount of Americans with jobs is “lowest in decades”, when in actuality our unemployment rate is currently 8.5%, consistently lowering over the past two years after it peaked in October of 2009.
The following months are sure to be as bloody as a blind man in a bull fight, and as the election draws closer we will all likely lose all hope in politics while we hear the hateful ads and false accusations. But don’t worry, we will survive, after all it happens every four years.
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