Whole lotta nothing and some major irony
Frankly, there isn't much to say about the SOTU. After leading with a tribute to Coretta Scott King that made me and my house party guests scream, King George spent the first half of the speech lecturing us all on how we had to keep on keeping on in the Middle East. He called anyone who disagreed with his policies "defeatist" and "isolationist." He didn't use the term "cut and run" but it was inferred when saying [transcript]:
Some ironies:
One of my friends added, "...to theocracy. He left THAT part out!"
Translation: We cut funding for reconstruction in Iraq.
Right, and that's why Democrats are shut out in the House of Representatives and you get to pick and choose what laws you will obey.
Then why do you keep lecturing them on what they should do???
More sabre-rattling. No mention of North Korea at all. Moving on to the "domestic" war on terror, he insists on his right to wiretap anyone he pleases without a warrant. Infers that if he had this right 9/11 would have been prevented. Barf.
And one of those countries owns us. Moving on to the obligatory, "Make the tax cuts permanent!" or we're all gonna die! Asks for the line item veto. I like the note by the NYT:
Social Security "reform." Yada yada, wants to create a commission. Well, that at least should effectively table the issue until we can get some sane people in Congress and into the White House.
On immigration:
Health Savings Accounts - another way for Wall Street to play with our money and does nothing to address the 46 million Americans without health insurance, nor does it say how people who are struggling just to get by and pay their health insurance premiums as it is are going to find that extra money for the HSA.
Energy - the solution is not to increase cafe standards or invest in renewables. Nope, it's gotta be coal (dirty), nuclear (meltdown risks, where to store the waste), and ethanol (how much corn are we gonna have to grow?).
On education:
And those jobs would be where? And you plan on paying for this how? With your permanent tax cuts?
Then on to some major pandering to the right-wing base. "Activist courts, cloning, gay marriage...
I won't even go into all his bilge about a "hopeful society." What a lot of nice sounding stuff that he has no intention of actually doing.
Well, that's about it. His SOTUs are usually pretty bad, but I think this was the one was the worst of all. He was just going through the motions. Submit To Propeller
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"A sudden withdrawal of our forces from Iraq would abandon our Iraqi allies to death and prison, would put men like bin Laden and Zarqawi in charge of a strategic country and show that a pledge from America means little."(Note: The people of New Orleans and the Mississippi coast are figuring that out)
Some ironies:
In less than three years, the nation has gone from dictatorship to liberation to sovereignty to a constitution to national elections.
One of my friends added, "...to theocracy. He left THAT part out!"
[In Iraq w]e've adjusted our military tactics and changed our approach to reconstruction.
Translation: We cut funding for reconstruction in Iraq.
Raising up a democracy requires the rule of law, protection of minorities and strong, accountable institutions that last longer than a single vote.
Right, and that's why Democrats are shut out in the House of Representatives and you get to pick and choose what laws you will obey.
Democracies in the Middle East will not look like our own, because they will reflect the traditions of their own citizens.
Then why do you keep lecturing them on what they should do???
More sabre-rattling. No mention of North Korea at all. Moving on to the "domestic" war on terror, he insists on his right to wiretap anyone he pleases without a warrant. Infers that if he had this right 9/11 would have been prevented. Barf.
In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors like China and India.
And one of those countries owns us. Moving on to the obligatory, "Make the tax cuts permanent!" or we're all gonna die! Asks for the line item veto. I like the note by the NYT:
[ Background: In 1998, the Supreme Court struck down the law that let the president cancel specific items in tax and spending measures. Since then, other proposals have emerged. ]
Social Security "reform." Yada yada, wants to create a commission. Well, that at least should effectively table the issue until we can get some sane people in Congress and into the White House.
On immigration:
Keeping America competitive requires an immigration system that upholds our laws, reflects our values and serves the interests of oureconomycorporations. Our nation needs orderly and secure borders. To meet this goal, we must have stronger immigration enforcement and border protection. And we must have a rational, humaneguest-workerindentured servant program that rejects amnesty [we just want your sorry ass to work for us, but you can't stay!] allows temporary jobs for people who seek them legally and reduces smuggling and crime at the border.
Health Savings Accounts - another way for Wall Street to play with our money and does nothing to address the 46 million Americans without health insurance, nor does it say how people who are struggling just to get by and pay their health insurance premiums as it is are going to find that extra money for the HSA.
Energy - the solution is not to increase cafe standards or invest in renewables. Nope, it's gotta be coal (dirty), nuclear (meltdown risks, where to store the waste), and ethanol (how much corn are we gonna have to grow?).
On education:
Tonight I propose to train 70,000 high school teachers to lead Advanced Placement courses in math and science, bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in classrooms and give early help to students who struggle with math, so they have a better chance at good high-wage jobs.
And those jobs would be where? And you plan on paying for this how? With your permanent tax cuts?
Then on to some major pandering to the right-wing base. "Activist courts, cloning, gay marriage...
I won't even go into all his bilge about a "hopeful society." What a lot of nice sounding stuff that he has no intention of actually doing.
Well, that's about it. His SOTUs are usually pretty bad, but I think this was the one was the worst of all. He was just going through the motions. Submit To Propeller
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posted by cls at
2/01/2006
