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Obama Invents Inventions
In yesterday's speech to Congress Obama claimed :
We invented solar technology, but we've fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it.
…
And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.
Both claims are definitely wrong.
How truthful then was the rest of the speech?
Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and the First Lady of the United States:
I’ve come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.
I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has – a friend; a neighbor; a member of your family. You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere. Stating the problem suggests empathy, but the solutions put forth do not give people their retirements back, their lost businesses and homes restored, their credit ratings repaired, etc.
But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this:
We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before. This line has been commented upon already
The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. Roll out the tired rhetorical tropes; this land is my land, this land is your land…Hmm… Obama forgot to mention regulators as being part of the answer. What is required now is for this country to pull together, No class warfare confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more. Insinuation that it is the little person’s fault for not taking responsibility
Now, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that for too long, we have not always met these responsibilities – as a government or as a people. I say this not to lay blame or look backwards, but because it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament. See above, but don’t look for a deep coherent analysis of how “WE arrived at this moment.”
The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank. We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Drill, baby, drill — every president since Carter has roled this line out, somehow forgetting about “free trade.” Yet we import more oil today than ever before. The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform. Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for. Most H-1B visa companies are not required to look for US workers And though all these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before.Again, pick on poor individuals who can barely put food on the table for not “saving” enough. But don’t discuss the flight of good jobs, the repeal of regulations, and the intentional creation of wealth bubbles.
In other words, we have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election.Let’s re-write the rules of capitalism here A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day. No, people bought homes and lost jobs, or as “SICKO” details, had acatastrophic illness wipe them out. But go ahead, blame the poor some more.
Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.
Now is the time to act boldly and wisely – to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about tonight.
It’s an agenda that begins with jobs. not rights
As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by President’s Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government – I don’t. Not because I’m not mindful of the massive debt we’ve inherited – I am. I called for action because the failure to do so would have cost more jobs and caused more hardships. In fact, a failure to act would have worsened our long-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years. That’s why I pushed for quick action. And tonight, I am grateful that this Congress delivered, and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law. So are the Wall St. banksters
Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. save OR create? That opens the path to some pretty meaningless accounting on the “savings” side. More than 90% of these jobs will be in the private sector – jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind turbines and solar panels; laying broadband and expanding mass transit. pretty images — much better than remediating EPA sites giving people who live adjacent to them cancer.
Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids. Health care professionals can continue caring for our sick. There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of Minneapolis tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make. Ah, yes, we’re “saving” jobs — why stop at 3.5M; why not “save” 100M?
Because of this plan, 95% of the working households in America will receive a tax cut – a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1st. You’re homeless and you got no job, but you’ll still get your $250 — just enough to kick your family off food stamps for a month — what a hassle it will be to get back on again.
Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college. And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm. Can’t live on $177/wk. unemployment, but who cares about petty details in that fancy hall?
I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. I understand that skepticism. Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending. And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.
That is why I have asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort – because nobody messes with Joe. I have told each member of my Cabinet as well as mayors and governors across the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend. just like the banksters I have appointed a proven and aggressive Inspector General to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud. And we have created a new website called recovery.gov so that every American can find out how and where their money is being spent.
So the recovery plan we passed is the first step in getting our economy back on track. But it is just the first step. Because even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean up the credit crisis that has severely weakened our financial system.
I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue tonight, because every American should know that it directly affects you and your family’s well-being. You should also know that the money you’ve deposited in banks across the country is safe; your insurance is secure; and you can rely on the continued operation of our financial system. That is not the source of concern.
The concern is that if we do not re-start lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins.
You see, the flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy. That is, an economy where everyone is in debt and beholden to their employer The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a car to a college education; how stores stock their shelves, farms buy equipment, and businesses make payroll.
But credit has stopped flowing the way it should. Too many bad loans from the housing crisis have made their way onto the books of too many banks. With so much debt and so little confidence, these banks are now fearful of lending out any more money to households, to businesses, or to each other. When there is no lending, families can’t afford to buy homes or cars. So businesses are forced to make layoffs. Our economy suffers even more, and credit dries up even further. Forget everything you’ve read by Michael Hudson and Mike Whitney; it is a “credit” crisis, not a “solvency” crisis.
That is why this administration is moving swiftly and aggressively to break this destructive cycle, restore confidence, and re-start lending.
We will do so in several ways. First, we are creating a new lending fund that represents the largest effort ever to help provide auto loans, college loans, and small business loans to the consumers and entrepreneurs not corporations? who keep this economy running.
Second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages. It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values – Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped bring about. In fact, the average family who re-finances today can save nearly $2000 per year on their mortgage. More funny stats. It won’t help those who have lost a job or suffer a catastrophic illness, but it will keep housing prices at a ridiculous multiple of income, perpetuating the eternal debt cycle.
Third, we will act with the full force of the federal government to ensure that the major banks that Americans depend on have enough confidence and enough money to lend even in more difficult times. And when we learn that a major bank has serious problems, we will hold accountable those responsible, force the necessary adjustments, provide the support to clean up their balance sheets, and assure the continuity of a strong, viable institution that can serve our people and our economy. We won’t let them fail like we let you.
I understand that on any given day, Wall Street may be more comforted by an approach that gives banks bailouts with no strings attached, and that holds nobody accountable for their reckless decisions. But such an approach won’t solve the problem. And our goal is to quicken the day when we re-start lending to the American people and American business and end this crisis once and for all. Ah yes, string theory! And even more loans! The pure physics of it enthralls!
I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time, they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer. This time, CEOs won’t be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over. This time it will be stock options, or some other mechanism. To hell with the drapers!
Still, this plan will require significant resources from the federal government – and yes, probably more than we’ve already set aside. But while the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy that sputters along for not months or years, but perhaps a decade. I was wondeering when the first chiasmus would find its way in among the rusty collection of rhetorical devices — politicians love them, they short-circuit critical thought — and it makes them sound more like Kennedy — “Think not…” That would be worse for our deficit, worse for business, worse for you, and worse for the next generation. And I refuse to let that happen.
I understand that when the last administration asked this Congress to provide assistance for struggling banks, Democrats and Republicans alike were infuriated by the mismanagement and results that followed. So were the American taxpayers. So was I.
So I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part from their bad decisions. I promise you – I get it. But I’m the new “decider,” so I will do it anyway.
But I also know that in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment. My job – our job – is to solve the problem. Our job is to govern with a sense of responsibility. OUR job… where’s my paycheck, can I get off unemployment yet? I will not spend a single penny for the purpose of rewarding a single Wall Street executive, but I will do whatever it takes to help the small business that can’t pay its workers or the family that has saved and still can’t get a mortgage.
That’s what this is about. It’s not about helping banks – it’s about helping people. Well, that’s it; that’s the money quote for tomorrow’s headlines; now you can go back to sleep. Because when credit is available again, that young family can finally buy a new home. And then some company will hire workers to build it. And then those workers will have money to spend, and if they can get a loan too, maybe they’ll finally buy that car, On credit, without a job? or open their own business. Investors will return to the market, and American families will see their retirement secured once more. foreshadowing…wait Slowly, but surely, confidence will return, and our economy will recover.
So I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary. Or be blamed Because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession. Always one step behind; last year was recession; this year is depression. And to ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, no more boom and bust cycles under capitalism again; the war to end all wars I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system. There’s that little stinker of a word again, “reform,” watch out It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation, and punishes short-cuts and abuse. Ah yes, we simply haven’t been rewarding drive and innovation enough — tell that to the innovators at Enron.
The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short-term. But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children what about eight years of bi-partisan “No Child Left Behind?” and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. I thought you just said debt was a good thing — “the engine that drives our economy,” remember? That is our responsibility.
In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs. I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for America – as a blueprint for our future. Ah yes, the “vision” thing. No other President had it apparently.
My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. So don’t complain to me about your problems. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, remember the “lockbox?” a financial crisis, and a costly recession.
Given these realities, everyone in this chamber – Democrats and Republicans – will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me. pork, but no barrel
But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges. I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity. meaningless rhetorical red herring to set up the next paragraph…
For history tells a different story. History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. and continued slaughtering the Indians From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age. read John Taylot Gatto for the true story In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways Can someone explain this non-sequitor to me — “a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways?” — sounds like Whitman on a bad acid trip., an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world.
In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive. Development costs were socialized, then technologies were given away for a song to corporations, and profits were privatised.
We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on the programs we don’t need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education. repetition, repetition, repetition, or as Bush famously called it, “catapulting the propaganda.”
It begins with energy.
We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.
Well I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders – and I know you don’t either. It is time for America to lead again.
Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. 2%? We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history – an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology.
We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. In other words, don’t look for appropriate scale, community based projects here, its all going to big corporations, baby. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills. That is, if you still have a home.
But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America. If this sounds good to you, you really need to bone up on the horrors of “market-based carbon caps,” clean coal, biofuels, and of course, more drilling and nuclear.
As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices. But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it. So, in other words, we will do for them what we will not do for the poor sap who bought a home that “he never could have afforded” — by our definitions.
None of this will come without cost, nor will it be easy. But this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. Like live in peace and provide the basic needs for people We do what is necessary to move this country forward. That’s why we have economists and accountants. Oh, and lawyers, I almost forgot them!
For that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of health care. Oh yes, and insurance agents! America, America….
This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every thirty seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, one million more Americans have lost their health insurance. It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it’s one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget. The big problem is that the fucking reactionary insurance companies, who have blocked single-payer universal with the glee of a manic executioner, are beginning to lose profits as the middle class drops out of coverage.
Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold.
Already, we have done more to advance the cause of health care reform in the last thirty days than we have in the last decade. Take that, Hillary! When it was days old, this Congress passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for eleven million American children whose parents work full-time. debs had addressed this Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives. A government database of our private records should make one think twice about dissenting. It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American by seeking a cure for cancer in our time. This is ridiculous — the “War on Cancer” is as specious as all of our other “wars” — drugs, terrorism, etc., creating the very conditions they propose to ameliorate. Cancer rates have gone throught the roof. It is estimated that one out of every two Americans will get cancer in their lifetimes — but there is no money to change the conditions which cause it, a much longer topic for sure… And it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that is one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control. This would be good, but there will be limits — it cannot effect the production and distribution of high-fructose corn syrup, or factory farming, which agribusiness depends on for its deadly profits.
This budget builds on these reforms. It includes an historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform – a down-payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American. It’s a commitment that’s paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue. And it’s a step we must take if we hope to bring down our deficit in the years to come. efficiencies…. How positively Gore-like. A “down-payment on a principle” is a far cry from single payer universal which is one of the four pillars of civilization, which every other industrialized nation enjoys.
Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve reform, and that is why I’m bringing together businesses and workers, doctors and health care providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on this issue next week. Just keep the insurance companies away and you might actually get somewhere. In any event, the solution is already worked out, this is just theater.
I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. It will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough. So let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year. We must do something BEFORE the people demand single payer universal
The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America.
In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite. Actually, it is your access to capital.
Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish.
This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education – from the day they are born to the day they begin a career.
Already, we have made an historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan. We have dramatically expanded early childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life. We have made college affordable for nearly seven million more students. And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children’s progress.
But we know that our schools don’t just need more resources. They need more reform. That is why this budget creates new incentives for teacher performance; pathways for advancement, and rewards for success. We’ll invest in innovative programs that are already helping schools meet high standards and close achievement gaps. And we will expand our commitment to charter schools. Yep, he’s getting ready to break the last strong labor union in America — by blaming them for following the politicians directives.
It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, when I’m no longer in office America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. This is all bullshit. We are not restructuting the economy; there will still be the same percentage of idiot jobs: toilet cleaners and Walmart greeters, burger makers and cashiers; taxi drivers and theater ushers. But, like Eastern Europe, we now will expect them all to go into debt to have a doctorate in philosophy before they can fill these enviable positions. There is already too much professional deadwood keeping out the talented who lack diplomas.
I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. If you need an education to get a better job in America, then you are already working too hard to support yourself and don’t have time to volunteer: Catch 22. Hello Joseph Heller! And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country – Senator Edward Kennedy. This does not smell good.
These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home. And such wisdom, such brilliance from this man! How many countless parents have never thought this, and are now suddenly enlightened? What’s next, walking on water? Perhaps even that would not be enough after brilliance like this.
There is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children. And that is the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay. That is the one remaining mercy accorded the poor when they die – don’t take it away! With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has never been more important to ensure that as our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this deficit down.
I’m proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities.
Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we’re starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade. Plenty of bloggers will cover these shenanigans.
In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work We know what teachers don’t and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them. What about those that do need them? We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use. Now that we can kill by remote control from an air-conditioned office in Vegas while sipping a diet coke. Chilling, huh? We will root out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas. There is very, very little waste and fraud in Medicare — this is code for reducing benefits.
In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. This is good and I applaud it, but it doesn’t go far enough. Those making over $250K have fancy accountants and rarely pay the stipulated percentage. But let me perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way.
To preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security. Ah yes, the benefit reductions that Bush couldn’t push through. Kiss your piddling little $250 check good-byyyyeee! Comprehensive health care reform is the best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come. And we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security, which has no problems, and the government has been living off of for years while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans. Where everyone will lose their life savings to Wall St. during the next crash! The game is rigged folks, can’t you see? There are never enough profits from blood for Wall St. and their new metroracial front man.
Finally, because we’re also suffering from a deficit of trust, I am committed to restoring a sense of honesty and accountability to our budget. That is why this budget looks ahead ten years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules – and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price. Nor will we end war.
We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war. BS, covered elsewhere.
And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away. There’s always an enemy
As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: we honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support. To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned. Boilerplate chickenhawk BS. Bush said the exact same thing.
To overcome extremism, No extreme views will be allowed in this Democracy we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture. Well, I would never volunteer to go through what they still are allowed to do — some of it still secret — would you? Then, by common sense, it is torture.
In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new era of engagement has begun. By unmanned drones and bombs For we know that America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, but the world cannot meet them without America. Oh yes they could! We cannot shun the negotiating table, nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm. We are instead called to move forward with the sense of confidence and candor that serious times demand. Candor? In diplomacy? I thought he was some sort of professor or something — well, Holbrooke will explain this to him, I’m sure.
To seek progress toward a secure and lasting peace between Israel and her neighbors, we have appointed an envoy to sustain our effort. I guess he just forgot to mention the Palestinians, who are not neighbors but a jack-booted occupied nation. To meet the challenges of the 21st century – from terrorism to nuclear proliferation; from pandemic disease to cyber threats to crushing poverty – we will strengthen old alliances, forge new ones, and use all elements of our national power.
And to respond to an economic crisis that is global in scope, we are working with the nations of the G-20 why only the wealthy industrialized nations, why don’t the poor get a vote? to restore confidence in our financial system, avoid the possibility of escalating protectionism, and spur demand for American goods in markets across the globe. For the world depends on us to have a strong economy, just as our economy depends on the strength of the world’s. sort of like the mafia
As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us – watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead. Wondering, and some worrying: Who will Obama kill?
Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege – one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans. For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill. First violins…
I know that it is easy to lose sight of this truth – to become cynical and doubtful; consumed with the petty and the trivial. second violins
But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary. strings
I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ”I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn’t feel right getting the money myself.” well, waddaya know? there’s one good apple in the ole capitalist barrel! Full orchestra! Molto Allegro!
I think about Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community – how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay. “The tragedy was terrible,” said one of the men who helped them rebuild. “But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity.” Brass section….
And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. querulous woodwinds She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp. The letter asks us for help, and says, “We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters.” drumroll
We are not quitters. cymbals
These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity. cannons!
Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause. And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us. da da datta da da da ta ta! canons, cymbals! and cut. soft strings and woodwinds in background
I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground. gradual crescendo
And if we do – if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, “something worthy to be remembered.” who was the neo-con who said, “Our children will tell great tales of us?” Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America. Obligatory ending invoking the fear and awe of American exceptionalism, the deadliest force on the planet.
Posted by: Malooga | Feb 27 2009 3:41 utc | 61
State of the Union Response
Good evening. I’m Bobby Jindal, Governor of Louisiana.
Tonight, we witnessed a great moment in the history of our Republic. In the very chamber where Congress once voted to abolish slavery, our first African-American President stepped forward to address the state of our union. With his speech tonight, the President completed a redemptive journey that took our nation from Independence Hall … to Gettysburg … to the lunch counter … and now, finally, the Oval Office. Er, this President never had to worry about no lunch counter. In any event, the journey began on a slave ship, not at Independence Hall.
Supply your own orchestral direction for this paragraph Regardless of party, all Americans are moved by the President’s personal story – the son of an American mother and a Kenyan father, who grew up to become leader of the free world. Like the President’s father, my parents came to this country from a distant land. When they arrived in Baton Rouge, my mother was already 4 ½ months pregnant. I was what folks in the insurance industry now call a “pre-existing condition.” To find work, my dad picked up the yellow pages and started calling local businesses. Even after landing a job, he could still not afford to pay for my delivery – so he worked out an installment plan with the doctor. Fortunately for me, he never missed a payment. This is very bizarre and inappropriate humor — is he implying that if his father had missed a payment that the child would be repossessed?
As I grew up, my mom and dad taught me the values that attracted them to this country – and they instilled in me an immigrant’s wonder at the greatness of America. As a child, I remember going to the grocery store with my dad. Growing up in India, he had seen extreme poverty. And as we walked through the aisles, looking at the endless variety on the shelves, Funny, when I walk through a standard American supermarket nothing looks appetizing or even edible, but when I walk into an Indian market in Boston or Lexington, I am overwhelmed by the delicious smells and tasty grains, pulses, and spices! he would tell me: “Bobby, Americans can do anything.” I still believe that to this day. Americans can do anything. Does anyone in his right mind believe this ubermensch fantasy? Scary! When we pull together, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.
As the President made clear this evening, we are now in a time of challenge. Many of you listening tonight have lost jobs. Others have seen your college and retirement savings dwindle. Many of you are worried about losing your health care and your homes. And you are looking to your elected leaders in Washington for solutions.
Republicans are ready to work with the new President to provide those solutions. Here in my state of Louisiana, we don’t care what party you belong to if you have good ideas to make life better for our people. Then why have parties…and elections? We need more of that attitude from both Democrats and Republicans in our nation’s capital. All of us want our economy to recover and our nation to prosper. So where we agree, Republicans must be the President’s strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward.
Today in Washington, some are promising that government will rescue us from the economic storms raging all around us.
Those of us who lived through Hurricane Katrina, we have our doubts.
Let me tell you a story. Rowdy New Orleans jazz music
During Katrina, I visited Sheriff Harry Lee, a Democrat and a good friend of mine. When I walked into his makeshift office I’d never seen him so angry. He was yelling into the phone: “Well, I’m the Sheriff and if you don’t like it you can come and arrest me!” I asked him: “Sheriff, what’s got you so mad?” He told me that he had put out a call for volunteers to come with their boats to rescue people who were trapped on their rooftops by the floodwaters. The boats were all lined up ready to go – when some bureaucrat showed up and told them they couldn’t go out on the water unless they had proof of insurance and registration. I told him, “Sheriff, that’s ridiculous.” And before I knew it, he was yelling into the phone: “Congressman Jindal is here, and he says you can come and arrest him too!” Harry just told the boaters to ignore the bureaucrats and start rescuing people. Oh yeah, gub’ment can’t do anything! Get them off our backs. Except for Blackwater to shoot all those niggers looting our fine stores. I think we all understand that what we saw was not incompetence, but the type of organized ethnic cleansing that brought young Bobby into office.
There is a lesson in this experience: The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and enterprising spirit of our citizens. The compassionate hearts carried shotguns, just in case. We are grateful for the support we have received from across the nation for the ongoing recovery efforts. This spirit got Louisiana through the hurricanes – and this spirit will get our nation through the storms we face today.
To solve our current problems, Washington must lead. But the way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians. No, let’s increase the deficit even more! The way to lead is by empowering you – the American people. Because we believe that Americans can do anything. Hoo, ah! Lightning bolt from God! Thunder! New meds for Jindal….
That is why Republicans put forward plans to create jobs by lowering income tax rates for working families … cutting taxes for small businesses … strengthening incentives for businesses to invest in new equipment and hire new workers … and stabilizing home values by creating a new tax credit for home-buyers. These plans would cost less and create more jobs. The folly of this has all been discussed elsewhere. Corporations are never mentioned.
But Democratic leaders in Congress rejected this approach. Instead of trusting us to make wise decisions with our own money, they passed the largest government spending bill in history – with a price tag of more than $1 trillion with interest. I agree, the banks should have had to declare bankruptcy. While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending. It includes $300 million to buy new cars for the government, $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a “magnetic levitation” line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and $140 million for something called “volcano monitoring.” Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption of spending in Washington, DC. Republicans gobble this shit up like turkeys behind an outhouse.
Democratic leaders say their legislation will grow the economy. What it will do is grow the government, increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt. Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need? That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did. It’s irresponsible. And it’s no way to strengthen our economy, create jobs, or build a prosperous future for our children. Maybe Obama was right; maybe we should send this guy off to math class, and make him come back with a board and a marker, like Tim Russert, to explain it all to us.
In Louisiana, we took a different approach. Since I became governor, we cut more than 250 earmarks from our state budget. And to create jobs for our citizens, we cut taxes six times – including the largest income tax cut in the history of our state. We passed those tax cuts with bipartisan majorities. Republicans and Democrats put aside their differences, and worked together to make sure our people could keep more of what they earn. If it can be done in Baton Rouge, surely it can be done in Washington, DC. Which begs the argumentum ad infinitum: why not just abolish taxes and run the entire government on Chinese financed debt? I mean, if they’ll actually buy the shit, why not?
To strengthen our economy, we need urgent action to keep energy prices down. All of us remember what it felt like to pay $4 at the pump – and unless we act now, those prices will return. Why? fear mongering. To stop that from happening, we need to increase conservation … increase energy efficiency … increase the use of alternative and renewable fuels … increase our use of nuclear power – and increase drilling for oil and gas here at home. drill, baby, drill. We believe that Americans can do anything – and if we unleash the innovative spirit of our citizens, we can achieve energy independence. Icarus beleived he could fly — but then, he wasn’t American. If he was, I bet he couldda! I bet! Hoo ah!
To strengthen our economy, we also need to address the crisis in health care. Republicans believe in a simple principle: No American should have to worry about losing their health coverage – period. Note the careful rhetorical formulation: “no American should have to worry…”, not “No American should have to lose their healthcare.” What, me worry? We stand for universal access to affordable health care coverage. We ALREADY have that — all you need is money and no pre-existing conditions. We oppose universal government-run health care. Health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients – not by government bureaucrats. Either he never saw “SICKO” or he is lying. Probably both. We believe Americans can do anything – and if we put aside partisan politics and work together, we can make our system of private medicine affordable and accessible for every one of our citizens. Especially if we buy all our drugs from Canada. And we paid physicians minimum wage. Well, he said we could do anything, didn’t he?
To strengthen our economy, we also need to make sure every child in America gets the best possible education. After Katrina, we reinvented the New Orleans school system – opening dozens of new charter schools, and creating a new scholarship program that is giving parents the chance to send their children to private or parochial schools of their choice. We believe that, with the proper education, the children of America can do anything. A little coke, a toke off a bong, maybe even a little LSD. And it should not take a devastating storm to bring this kind of innovation to education in our country. What they did was privatize and politicize education, cutting teacher salaries and benefits below former middle class levels. The children are pawns in this scheme. The unions are fucked. Great if, like Jindal, you get a high salary, free healthcare, and great post-job benefits for life.
To strengthen our economy, we must promote confidence in America by ensuring ours is the most ethical and transparent system in the world. Cough! Not when money is equated by the Supreme Ccoourt with free speech In my home state, there used to be saying: At any given time, half of Louisiana is under water – and the other half is under indictment. No one says that anymore. Because they are afraid of losing their jobs. Last year, we passed some of the strongest ethics laws in the nation – and today, Louisiana has turned her back on the corruption of the past. Because capitalism is honest once it is reformed… and reformed… and reformed — once every twenty years or so, according to Jefferson. We need to bring transparency to Washington, DC – so we can rid our Capitol of corruption … and ensure we never see the passage of another trillion dollar spending bill that Congress has not even read and the American people haven’t even seen. And another Patriot Act, etc. (Of course, that is always their excuse — they didn’t have time to read it, because they were so busy doing the will of the people. Hey, what about the part where the people can do anything?
As we take these steps, we must remember for all our troubles at home, dangerous enemies still seek our destruction. Ooooh, scary,scary. Now is no time to dismantle the defenses that have protected this country for hundreds of years, or make deep cuts in funding for our troops. Not when our spending barely exceeds the rest of the entire world combined. America’s fighting men and women can do kill anything. And if we give them the resources they need, they will stay on the offensive … defeat our enemies … and protect us from harm.
In all these areas, Republicans want to work with President Obama. We appreciate his message of hope – but sometimes it seems we look for hope in different places. Democratic leaders in Washington place their hope in the federal government. We place our hope in you – the American people. suckers In the end, it comes down to an honest and fundamental disagreement about the proper role of government. We oppose the National Democrats’ I guess that is their new denigration, sounds like National Socialists, hmm… view that says — the way to strengthen our country is to increase dependence on government. We believe the way to strengthen our country is to restrain spending in Washington, and empower individuals and small businesses to grow our economy and create jobs. See, even fascists can have an honest disagreement over tactics — without shooting each other!
In recent years, these distinctions in philosophy I knew that Doctorate in Philosophy would come in handy! became less clear – because our party got away from its principles. You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington. Republicans lost your trust – and rightly so. Run from Bush
Tonight, on behalf of our leaders in Congress and my fellow Republican governors, I say: Our party is determined to regain your trust. We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share … the principles you elected us to fight for … the principles that built this into the greatest, most prosperous country on earth.
A few weeks ago, the President warned that our nation is facing a crisis that he said “we may not be able to reverse.” Our troubles are real, to be sure. But don’t let anyone tell you that we cannot recover – or that America’s best days are behind her. This is the nation that cast off the scourge of slavery … overcame the Great Depression … prevailed in two World Wars … won the struggle for civil rights … defeated the Soviet menace … and responded with determined courage to the attacks of September 11, 2001. The American spirit has triumphed over almost every form of adversity known to man including Kryptonite! – and the American spirit will triumph again.
We can have confidence in our future – because, amid today’s challenges, we also count many blessings: We have the most innovative citizens …the most abundant resources … the most resilient economy … the most powerful military … and the freest political system in the history of the world. The biggest dicks, the sweetest pussies, whoops, wrong speech! Anyway, it is clear that we Americans are the purebreds of the world, while everyone else are mutts. Our resources are so abundant and our citizens are so innovative, that we have no more need to attack, destroy, and dominate other countries for their resources — like oil, for instance. My fellow citizens, never forget: We are Americans. And like my dad said years ago, Americans can do anything. I’d end it here, if I were him.
Thank you for listening. God bless you. And God bless America. Americans can do anything — even act like blithering morons, if we want. Maybe it is true, but then only Monty Python could pull a speech like this off.
Posted by: Malooga | Feb 27 2009 4:40 utc | 65
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