Jan. 27, 2014 - PPM-State of the (Dis)-Union

On Tuesday, we will endure President Obama’s 6th State of the Union Address (SOTU).

The SOTU was originally intended to provide Congress with an update on happenings in the Executive Branch of the government. Previously, some Presidents just sent a letter.  I, for one, miss the good old days.

Someone once said: "Tonight's State of the Union was full of the same empty rhetoric the American people have come to expect from this President." 

That someone was Senator Barack Obama on January 28, 2008, in response to then President Bush's State of the Union address.

To no one’s surprise, Obama has turned the SOTU into just another campaign stump speech.

Does anyone recall a memorable quote from one of President Obama’s previous SOTU speeches? 

Can anyone remember any substantial deliverables from the last five SOTU speeches?

Obama’s lone significant accomplishment is Obamacare.  By all accounts, the rollout of healthcare reform has been an unmitigated disaster.  The truth, uncommonly heard from the Obama regime, is that the worst of Obamacare will occur with the employer mandate next year.

White House sources have said that Obama will deliver an optimistic State of the Union address on Tuesday.  Obama will urge Congress to address economic issues like “Income Inequality.” 

Borrowing Al Gore’s catch phrase, it is an inconvenient truth that income inequality has increased in Obama’s first 5 years.  So will Obama distance himself from or denounce his own fiscal policies that have INCREASED income inequality?

Obama will promote raising the minimum wage.  Economists, business owners, AND job creators all predict that this will hurt the economy.

The President will also task Congress with extending jobless benefits, or Unemployment Insurance. While I am not opposed to helping someone in need, I have to ask for how long and at what cost?  Why is Obama opposed to having budget offsets to pay for the extension?

The latest inequality eradication that Obama has championed is college accessibility.  I disagree. Not everyone must go to college. We need individuals to do jobs that do not require a college education.  Does my electrician really need a Philosophy degree? Fourteen percent of restaurant servers now possess a college degree, which speaks volumes about the imbalance between education and the job market. 

Obama will talk about the need for jobs, yet he won’t address the Keystone XL pipeline delay.  Thousands of possible construction jobs remain a pipe dream.

I think we should address “Intelligence Inequality” if Obama thinks that minimum wage raises, unemployment insurance extensions, and higher college admissions (with more student debt) will improve our economy.

Topics I would like to hear about in the State of the Union, but won’t, are the IRS targeting scandal, the Benghazi cover-up, the NSA snooping, and the botched Fast and Furious program.

  

I did a non-scientific poll of four of my friends as to what they would like to hear from this year’s SOTU:

25% - A resignation

25% - The phrase “In conclusion”

25% – More about how he saved Detroit, killed Osama

25% - What Obama’s imaginary son is up to and what sports he won’t be allowed to play

I think I need less sarcastic friends.

I will be watching the SOTU speech hoping for another Joe Wilson moment.  Wilson is the Republican Congressman from South Carolina who shouted “You lie” during President Obama’s September 2009 speech to Congress about Obamacare.  I think someone owes Wilson an apology and a Nostradamus Award.

Obama famously said, “Elections have consequences.”  So do words, quotes, and yes, lies.

I’ll be live tweeting constructive comments on Tuesday night at @RevJJLewis