Part 6
“We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there's no reason why Congress shouldn't at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven't acted. Well tonight, I will. I'm directing my Administration to allow the development of clean energy on enough public land to power three million homes. And I'm proud to announce that the Department of Defense, the world's largest consumer of energy, will make one of the largest commitments to clean energy in history - with the Navy purchasing enough capacity to power a quarter of a million homes a year.”
This whole statement makes me laugh. I mean, come on, everyone knows that Global Warming, err, that is to say, Climate Change, is a myth that has been propagated by years of falsified data and research. I am not saying that we shouldn’t try to be good stewards of the planet, but we don’t need to base what we do on lies that have been spread by people who have an agenda to promote their cause by falsifying information. As for the rest of Obama’s statement here, I just find it funny. I’ll let you figure out why.
“Of course, the easiest way to save money is to waste less energy. So here's another proposal: Help manufacturers eliminate energy waste in their factories and give businesses incentives to upgrade their buildings. Their energy bills will be $100 billion lower over the next decade, and America will have less pollution, more manufacturing, and more jobs for construction workers who need them. Send me a bill that creates these jobs.”
Wow, he is delusional. Oh well, I guess that is why they call it a wish list. That is what this entire speech is, a wish list. It sounds good but you know none of it is feasible nor will it ever get done.
“Building this new energy future should be just one part of a broader agenda to repair America's infrastructure. So much of America needs to be rebuilt. We've got crumbling roads and bridges. A power grid that wastes too much energy. An incomplete high-speed broadband network that prevents a small business owner in rural America from selling her products all over the world.”
Actually, our infrastructure is not that bad compared to the rest of the world. A lot of people like to show pictures of a bridge that collapsed in the central northern US to say we need the Federal Government to invest more in American Infrastructure then they off set it with pictures of brand new bridges built in Germany and China. What they don’t tell you it the American bridge collapsed when there was an earthquake (something that doesn’t often happen in that region) that was worse than the bridge was designed to withstand. Meanwhile the Chinese and German bridges are not typical bridges that are seen in those nations. If you were to take the percentages of bridges that are advanced in design and in good repair compared to the ones that are not, you would see that despite the fact that China and Germany spend 4 times as much money (percentage wise) on infrastructure as the US does, the US is far better off.
“During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge. After World War II, we connected our States with a system of highways. Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.
In the next few weeks, I will sign an Executive Order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.”
How about use all of that money to pay down the debt and let the states worry about their own roads and bridges. The only money that the Federal money that is needed is for the interstate road way systems, which is already over funded though you wouldn’t know it due to the wasteful spending of the people who run it. Why not take the existing money and (as Obama puts it) clear some of that red tape away. I think that then they would find out that they have more than enough money for what is needed.
“There's never been a better time to build, especially since the construction industry was one of the hardest-hit when the housing bubble burst. Of course, construction workers weren't the only ones hurt. So were millions of innocent Americans who've seen their home values decline. And while Government can't fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn't have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief.
That's why I'm sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low interest rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won't add to the deficit, and will give banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.”
This really does sound good, as a homeowner myself that has been effected by the housing decline; I can see the benefit of this. But, I am hesitant to believe this or to trust that it will truly help. The reason for this is the money that will fund this has to come from somewhere. The unfortunate truth is that it is most likely going to be gained by raising taxes or cutting the tax breaks that home owners get. Either one of these is almost guaranteed to be worse than what we currently have to pay, effectively not saving us, the homeowners, anything.
Let's never forget: Millions of Americans who work hard and play by the rules every day deserve a Government and a financial system that do the same. It's time to apply the same rules from top to bottom: No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts. An America built to last insists on responsibility from everybody.
“We've all paid the price for lenders who sold mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, and buyers who knew they couldn't afford them. That's why we need smart regulations to prevent irresponsible behavior. Rules to prevent financial fraud, or toxic dumping, or faulty medical devices, don't destroy the free market. They make the free market work better.”
What Obama is saying here is true, but it is also misleading. Rules and regulations do help the free market to work better, but only when they are used in moderation. The biggest thing that is hurting the free market today is overregulation. This is the whole reason that we had the trouble that led to the recession and the housing market collapse. When you overregulate, things either can’t get done that need to get done or the multitude of rules gets abused by playing the rules against themselves.
“There is no question that some regulations are outdated, unnecessary, or too costly. In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his. I've ordered every federal agency to eliminate rules that don't make sense. We've already announced over 500 reforms, and just a fraction of them will save business and citizens more than $10 billion over the next five years. We got rid of one rule from 40 years ago that could have forced some dairy farmers to spend $10,000 a year proving that they could contain a spill - because milk was somehow classified as an oil. With a rule like that, I guess it was worth crying over spilled milk.”
Actually, over all, Obama has approved passed more regulations in his first 3 years then Bush did in his 8. As for his administration reforming regulations that are out dated, Obama has shown in the past that he isn’t really interested in true reform of these regulations; he wants to expand upon them. If, he is telling the truth (and I doubt it, though I will admit I don’t know the truth about this claim. I cannot find anything to reference his claim) about the rule for dairy farmers that he talks about here, then I say, good for him, but there is so much more that needs to be done. Also if he is telling the truth, then how many regulations did he impose to offset that rule’s removal? I bet the answer is more than one.
“I'm confident a farmer can contain a milk spill without a federal agency looking over his shoulder. But I will not back down from making sure an oil company can contain the kind of oil spill we saw in the Gulf two years ago. I will not back down from protecting our kids from mercury pollution, or making sure that our food is safe and our water is clean. I will not go back to the days when health insurance companies had unchecked power to cancel your policy, deny you coverage, or charge women differently from men.”
Ok, where to start… I guess I will start with the gulf oil spill… Obama, you really dropped the ball on that one. You took over 90 days to respond to it all the while, blocking all outside help that was trying to lend a hand to help contain and clean it up. That spill was your Katrina and you just used it to play class warfare politics by taking the opportunity it presented to you. You used it to shut down a good portion of the industry that refines oil, hurting thousands of families in the process, and to promote your environmental agenda that does not take the US citizen into consideration. You could care less about clean air or clean water, all you care about is if promoting them promotes you and your agenda.
Also, stop lying about the health insurance companies; I am sick of hearing you tell the same lies about them over and over. As for the health insurance companies charging more for women over men, (and I know I am going to catch flak for this one, but bear with me) they should charge more. Women have more expensive testing (and they are tested more often than men) that they need to have done simply because they are women. Men’s healthcare, in general, is less expensive; therefor they should charge less for men. It isn’t that men are better than women or vice versa, it’s just that our bodies are made differently therefor testing is done differently and costs differing amounts.
So on that note Mr. Obama, shut your mouth, you will be more honest that way.
More in Part 7.
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