printIn case you’re biting your nails in anticipation, here are some excerpts from BO’s State of The Union Address, courtesy of CNN:
Obama: “We face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope — what they deserve — is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences; to overcome the numbing weight of our politics. For while the people who sent us here have different backgrounds and different stories and different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same. The aspirations they hold are shared. A job that pays the bill. A chance to get ahead. Most of all, the ability to give their children a better life.
You know what else they share? They share a stubborn resilience in the face of adversity. After one of the most difficult years in our history, they remain busy building cars and teaching kids; starting businesses and going back to school. They are coaching Little League and helping their neighbors. As one woman wrote to me, “We are strained but hopeful, struggling but encouraged.”
It is because of this spirit — this great decency and great strength — that I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight. Despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We don’t allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it’s time the American people get a government that matches their decency; that embodies their strength. And tonight, I’d like to talk about how together, we can deliver on that promise.
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By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Co-pays will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans. And neither should the people in this chamber.
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Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it’s time for something new. Let’s try common sense. Let’s invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let’s meet our responsibility to the people who sent us here.
To do that, we have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust — deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years. To close that credibility gap we must take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly; and to give our people the government they deserve.
That’s what I came to Washington to do. That’s why — for the first time in history — my administration posts our White House visitors online. And that’s why we’ve excluded lobbyists from policy-making jobs or seats on federal boards and commissions.
But we cannot stop there. It’s time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or Congress. And it’s time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office. Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests — including foreign companies — to spend without limit in our elections. Well I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, and worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that’s why I’m urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong.
I’m also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform. You have trimmed some of this spending and embraced some meaningful change. But restoring the public trust demands more. For example, some members of Congress post some earmark requests online. Tonight, I’m calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there’s a vote so that the American people can see how their money is being spent.”
Update: The full text is HERE. Discuss among yourselves.
“We face a deficit of trust — deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years. To close that credibility gap we must take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue to end the outsized influence of lobbyists; to do our work openly; and to give our people the government they deserve.”
Who is he kidding!! It is his Administration that gives out waivers so that lobbyists can work in the White House. He is the problem. He further eroded mistrust.
And to top it all off – he is removing the US from the benefits of a manned space effort. Guaranteed: The Chinese will push ahead. And in addition to everything else we buy from the Chinese, we will become the serfs of the future.
Give the man some clothes.
Man- his speech writer is good. Unfortunately, I went to church tonight and forgot to put the speakers over the garden plot. With the price of groceries, I could have used the fertilizer.
I found this little 2 minute excerpt from HIS Elyria “Jobs” Speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9UIpW_3P5s
Carly Simon would be proud.
My 8th grader, Anna, in the Governmental “public” School, had to stay up until 11 PM to watch HIM and Governor Bob McDonnell blather on how “we all want health care” yabba dabba do … Anna had to answer questions on the teleprompter boredom festival “speech” – as well as study for a “Civics” Final Exam – getting up 6 hours later for school.
The only real FUNNY moment was watching the Joint Chiefs stare in silence when Obama talked about having gays serve in the military. [I thought that was neat too; the last of the tough men in America…] Too bad for the gays – now if there is a draft, they must serve their fellow men! You can’t get an OUT by outing yourself!
There’s a one page transcript at whitehouse.gov that’s more easily searchable.
To give the devil his due, I actually heard a few lines I liked:
“But to create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. (Applause.)” Kewl!
“It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. (Applause.)” Yeah, buddy! Maybe I can get my old job back.
“It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. (Applause.)” I suppose that we’ll need someting to replace fossil fuels when they run out.
But then he went and ruined the whole thing:
“And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America. (Applause.)” #&@%! That Commie pinko enviromentalist hogwash again!
I did, however, enjoy the audience’s expressions of skepticism when Obama said, “I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change.” Apparently BHO has paid no attention to Climategate.
The most ridiculous part of Obama’s speech was the time he devoted to “the outsized influence of lobbyists”, “earmark reform” and the like. Does anyone actually believe that our economic woes are even remotely related to a few instances of extravagant corruption? Joe Congressman may pilfer ten million for a pet project in his home state, but the most grievous crimes are committed when Congress reaches a “consensus”. Everything from the income tax to the Iraq War Resolution has passed in Congress with flying colors, yet here is Obama saying that the real problem with our political system is the influence of lobbyists and special interests. If Obama and the other politicians want “change”, they ought to start with themselves.