Obamas State Of The Union 2012 Part 4

Part 4

“Jackie Bray is a single mom from North Carolina who was laid off from her job as a mechanic. Then Siemens opened a gas turbine factory in Charlotte, and formed a partnership with Central Piedmont Community College. The company helped the college design courses in laser and robotics training. It paid Jackie's tuition, then hired her to help operate their plant.

I want every American looking for work to have the same opportunity as Jackie did. Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with skills that will lead directly to a job. My Administration has already lined up more companies that want to help. Model partnerships between businesses like Siemens and community colleges in places like Charlotte, Orlando, and Louisville are up and running. Now you need to give more community colleges the resources they need to become community career centers - places that teach people skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data management to high-tech manufacturing.

And I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people like Jackie have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It's time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.”

You know, all of this sounds good but there is just one tiny problem with what Obama is saying here, every American already has the same opportunity that this woman named Jackie had.  That is the way the free market works.  If a business wants someone bad enough because they demonstrated that they have something special to bring to that business, then they will go out of their way to hire those individuals and train them.  We don’t need the Government for that.  If Obama wants to help out the smaller businesses that may struggle to afford training people like this then I say fine, but larger companies like Siemens can already afford to do this without government assistance, oh and while I am at it… don’t attach a bunch of strings because then none of the businesses that could use the money would be willing to because it would not be worth it. 

As for the training programs being different, that is because different states require different things.  This boils down to a state issue and the Federal Government needs to keep their hands out of it.  The states reserve the right to set these regulations because of the different circumstances in each state.

“These reforms will help people get jobs that are open today. But to prepare for the jobs of tomorrow, our commitment to skills and education has to start earlier.

For less than one percent of what our Nation spends on education each year, we've convinced nearly every State in the country to raise their standards for teaching and learning - the first time that's happened in a generation.”

Actually, what he is calling raising standards is in truth lowering them.  The reason I say this is class rooms now can only move as fast as the slowest student in them and we have done away with the special education programs that were reserved for the slower and more challenged students in an effort to make them feel better about themselves.  If we want to raise the standards we need to reinstitute the special education programs so that those students that need it will be able to get the education they need while the students that do not require that level of special attention can get the education they need.  With the current system we are holding our brightest students back and they are suffering for it.

“But challenges remain. And we know how to solve them.”

Yes we do, vote Obama out and get rid of the Department of Education.  Turn the education system back over to the states.

“At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers. We know a good teacher can increase the lifetime income of a classroom by over $250,000. A great teacher can offer an escape from poverty to the child who dreams beyond his circumstance. Every person in this chamber can point to a teacher who changed the trajectory of their lives. Most teachers work tirelessly, with modest pay, sometimes digging into their own pocket for school supplies - just to make a difference.

Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them, or defending the status quo, let's offer schools a deal. Give them the resources to keep good teachers on the job, and reward the best ones. In return, grant schools flexibility: To teach with creativity and passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace teachers who just aren't helping kids learn.”

Once again I have to say, if Obama really means what he said than you need to turn the education system back over to the states.  Also in order to do what he claims he wants then we seriously need to look at tenure and reform it.  Tenure is one of the reasons that we have teachers that should not be teaching in our schools and the sooner they can be held responsible the sooner thing will be able to improve.  Traditionally, the Dems are against tenure reform because that puts the teachers that try to indoctrinate student toward the liberal agenda at risk.

“We also know that when students aren't allowed to walk away from their education, more of them walk the stage to get their diploma. So tonight, I call on every State to require that all students stay in high school until they graduate or turn eighteen.”

I have to disagree with this.  Every student that drops out does it for their own reasons.  Some do it because they know they won’t graduate and that allows them to enter the work force earlier to get valuable experience, others drop out so that they can get their GED and move on to college.  There are numerous reasons that students drop out of high school, some good some bad.  This call to change the way that students can drop out is not a good one because he does not want circumstances taken into consideration.

“When kids do graduate, the most daunting challenge can be the cost of college. At a time when Americans owe more in tuition debt than credit card debt, this Congress needs to stop the interest rates on student loans from doubling in July. Extend the tuition tax credit we started that saves middle-class families thousands of dollars. And give more young people the chance to earn their way through college by doubling the number of work-study jobs in the next five years.”

All of this I actually agree with the President on. 

“Of course, it's not enough for us to increase student aid. We can't just keep subsidizing skyrocketing tuition; we'll run out of money. States also need to do their part, by making higher education a higher priority in their budgets. And colleges and universities have to do their part by working to keep costs down. Recently, I spoke with a group of college presidents who've done just that. Some schools re-design courses to help students finish more quickly. Some use better technology. The point is, it's possible. So let me put colleges and universities on notice: If you can't stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down. Higher education can't be a luxury - it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”

And then Obama drops the ball here.  The states do their part; the main thing that is driving tuition costs up is the fact that the Federal Government restricts what can be taught at each university and college.  This makes some schools worth more than others and since those schools are worth more, they charge more because they have to pay more to the professors that they have to hire.  If the universities and colleges were allowed to teach any programs they desired instead of having to conform to what the Government dictates (which they do because they don’t want a lot of competition between universities and colleges on the programs that are taught. 

Can these schools do more to lower costs?  Yes they can and they should, but threatening to take funding away from them if they don’t comply with your will is just wrong.  If this were to happen the more tuitions costs would just go up that much more to make up for what the Government won’t cover.  Higher education is a luxury despite what the President says.  There are plenty of programs out there to help people who cannot afford to pay for it on their own, but the recipient has to earn the right to get that money.  If you can’t afford it and don’t have the drive to do what it takes to get the student loans, scholarships or grants to help you pay for it then you don’t need it.  Everyone has a fair chance at getting a higher education, they just have to want it, but they are not entitled to it.

Also, think of it like this, if everyone went to college and graduated then the value of that education would drop drastically because the job market would be flooded and then you would have a bunch of highly educated people who could not get the jobs that they have been educating themselves for over the course of the last 2 to 4 years (assuming they stop with their bachelor’s degree).  Most of these people would refuse to do any “lesser” jobs because they would think it was beneath them, after all, who wants to flip burgers when you have a degree in engineering of physics? Just saying.

“Let's also remember that hundreds of thousands of talented, hardworking students in this country face another challenge: The fact that they aren't yet American citizens. Many were brought here as small children, are American through and through, yet they live every day with the threat of deportation. Others came more recently, to study business and science and engineering, but as soon as they get their degree, we send them home to invent new products and create new jobs somewhere else.

That doesn't make sense.”

Yes it does.  If they want to stay in the US they can apply for citizenship like any other LEGAL citizen that has immigrated has done.  As for the children, I hate to say that they should be punished for the crimes of their parents but, at least they can still be with their family once they all are sent back to where they came from.  If the parents demonstrate that they have no respect for American laws, and then they should be punished, unfortunately the children are affected too, but the parents should have thought about that before they broke the law.  American children suffer everyday as they are shipped off to foster homes because their parents broke the law, children that are here illegally should not be given any special treatment.  Sure it isn’t their fault, but they are their parent’s responsibility.  If their parents bring them then they should leave with them.  If they want to come back then they should have to do like everyone else and go about it the legal way.  Cases of people seeking asylum are different and should be treated differently.  But we are not currently talking about people seeking asylum in the US. 

If the foreigners that come to the US for whatever reason want to stay then they should have the respect for the nation that they wish to live in and strive for citizenship the proper way.

More in part 5.

Obama's State Of The Union 2012 Part 3

Part 3

“What's happening in Detroit can happen in other industries. It can happen in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Raleigh. We can't bring back every job that's left our shores. But right now, it's getting more expensive to do business in places like China. Meanwhile, America is more productive. A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home. Today, for the first time in fifteen years, Master Lock's unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.

So we have a huge opportunity, at this moment, to bring manufacturing back. But we have to seize it. Tonight, my message to business leaders is simple: Ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to your country, and your country will do everything we can to help you succeed.”

While it is getting more expensive to do business in places overseas, the reason for that is simple.  The global economy is suffering.  Therefor the costs of doing business anywhere is going up, including here in the US.  Obama wants to know what it will take to bring manufacturing back to the US, that is simple too.  Get rid of him and every politician that thinks like he does when it comes to over regulation, that will bring more jobs back to the US because it will make it easier for manufacturing businesses to do business here in the US.  Also, make the entire US right to work so that unions can’t force people to join them if they want a job.  Unions have been one of the biggest hindrances to the manufacturing market for a long time.  I am not saying to do away with the unions because they can be a good thing when they do what they are supposed to do, but give the hard working Americans a choice whether or not they want to join.

“We should start with our tax code. Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it.”

For the record, the Dems are the ones who wrote, promoted and passed the laws that set the system up like this.

“So let's change it. First, if you're a business that wants to outsource jobs, you shouldn't get a tax deduction for doing it. That money should be used to cover moving expenses for companies like Master Lock that decide to bring jobs home.”

I’m all for taking away the tax deductions that he is talking about.  The money that a business saves just from going overseas won’t be affected so they will still go overseas.  But what we should not do is have taxes raised on businesses that choice to operate in a friendlier environment so that the money can then be sent to businesses that chose not to go overseas.

“Second, no American company should be able to avoid paying its fair share of taxes by moving jobs and profits overseas. From now on, every multinational company should have to pay a basic minimum tax. And every penny should go towards lowering taxes for companies that choose to stay here and hire here.”

American companies pay more than their “fair share” (by the way, I am getting sick of hearing that phrase, it is a stupid thing to say) in taxes.  They still pay taxes when it comes to importing and exporting goods.  We should not be taxing operations in in foreign countries.  The countries that those businesses operate in tax them for what is done there we should not penalize the company for trying to make an extra profit because that does come back home to make more jobs here in the US.  I agree that we should incentivize businesses to stay here in the US, but we don’t need to do it by raising taxes on multinational businesses just so we can subsidize businesses that won’t go overseas.  The business model that a business uses should be based off of where they can get best quality work for the lowest price so that they can them turn around and invest in the economy.  Doing what Obama suggests will kill our import export trade and make the economy even worse.

“Third, if you're an American manufacturer, you should get a bigger tax cut. If you're a high-tech manufacturer, we should double the tax deduction you get for making products here. And if you want to relocate in a community that was hit hard when a factory left town, you should get help financing a new plant, equipment, or training for new workers.”

Once again, don’t have much of a problem with what he is saying here but I think he wants to go about it all the wrong way.  As for the subsidizing he is suggesting see my previous comment.

“My message is simple. It's time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America. Send me these tax reforms, and I'll sign them right away.”

But that is not what he is saying; he is saying he wants to punish businesses for going overseas.  As for him signing tax reforms right way… Why hasn’t he or the Senate Dems back any of the tax reforms that are currently sitting in the senate because Harry Reed won’t even let them be brought to the floor?  If you are going to say it Obama, you should at least look like you are trying to what you claim you want to do.

“We're also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements I signed into law, we are on track to meet that goal - ahead of schedule. Soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Columbia, and South Korea. Soon, there will be new cars on the streets of Seoul imported from Detroit, and Toledo, and Chicago.”

That is just a dream as long as Obama and the Dems keep up their policies when it comes to taxation.  The fact of the matter is when it comes to exporting you have to create a friendly environment for businesses here in the US, including the ones that are forced to import due to regulations.  Until you do that, the costs of American products are going to be too high in an overseas market and you will be throwing money down a hole while trying to succeed, especially since most other nations see our good as inferior with the exception of our food exports.

“I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products. And I will not stand by when our competitors don't play by the rules. We've brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration - and it's made a difference. Over a thousand Americans are working today because we stopped a surge in Chinese tires. But we need to do more. It's not right when another country lets our movies, music, and software be pirated. It's not fair when foreign manufacturers have a leg up on ours only because they're heavily subsidized.”

This statement makes me laugh.  Obama knows that he only goes all over the world to take vacations.  As for bringing cases against our competitors in other nations, so what, the fact of the matter is if China or Russia are going to abuse the rules then that is what they will do.  Obama and his administration can’t stop that.  Their bringing cases against foreign imports has not created jobs, it has just raised the cost on those imports that has actually hurt production in the US.  The only reason that unemployment is starting to drop is because despite what his administration has done the American market is strong and will recover, just at a slower rate. 

By the way, did you notice the little nod toward SOPA and PIPA?  For more on that you can read my post about those two bills. 

As for the last part of this statement, the reason that foreign manufacturers have a leg up on us isn’t subsidies, it is the fact that labor is significantly cheaper, which is one of the things that is killing manufacturing here.  There are some companies here in the US that, due to unions, have to pay their lowest paid workers a minimum of $25 an hour plus provide a complete benefits package.  If these manufacturers were allowed to either cut wages or make the work pay for part of their benefits then they would have an easier time competing worldwide.

“Tonight, I'm announcing the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit that will be charged with investigating unfair trade practices in countries like China. There will be more inspections to prevent counterfeit or unsafe goods from crossing our borders. And this Congress should make sure that no foreign company has an advantage over American manufacturing when it comes to accessing finance or new markets like Russia. Our workers are the most productive on Earth, and if the playing field is level, I promise you - America will always win.”

Umm, we have laws and departments in the government that already do this why do we need another?  Make the ones that are supposed to be handling this do their job of get rid of them.  As for what Obama is saying Congress should do, they have been trying to accomplish that but Obama and the Senate have been stonewalling them. 

“I also hear from many business leaders who want to hire in the United States but can't find workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the job. Think about that - openings at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.

That's inexcusable. And we know how to fix it.”

Once again, yes we do.  Get rid of Obama and elect someone who cares about America.  The main issue when it comes down  to this is education.  We need to turn education back over to the states instead of dragging all states down to the lowest common denominator.  The Department of Education has done more to hurt education in this country by introducing programs like “No Child Left Behind” (more like no child gets ahead) which was passed under Bush.  We need to challenge our children in order for them to succeed, but until he stop holding them back until the ones that struggle catch up, that is not going to happen.

More in Part 4.

Obama's State Of The Union 2012 Part 2

I hope you enjoyed Part 1.  I am going to be a bit more pithy for part 2 so that hopefully I can get through more of this speech because otherwise it is going to take me about 10 parts to finish it.  Here is Part 2 for your viewing pleasure.

“Let's remember how we got here. Long before the recession, jobs and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, paychecks that weren't, and personal debt that kept piling up.”

Ok, I agree with Obama on the first part of this statement, long before the recession jobs were leaving our shore to go to foreign soil.  This mainly happened during the Clinton years when the Dems had control of the House and the Senate.  When bush came into office he killed some of the Clinton taxes and regulations which then started to pull us out of the hole that Clinton had put us in.  Yes the wealthiest in the country got wealthier from it but we also say them hiring more people once they had more money to do so.  It was Reganonics in action.  Then once the Dems got control of the House and Senate during the Bush years that is when we saw the tide start to turn toward the negative which led us to the recession.  A lot of people, Obama included, want to blame Bush for this but if you look at the facts, while Bush didn’t help, the Dems are the reason the recession happened, after all the House has the power of the purse.  While Obama says that technology has made some jobs obsolete, he neglects to say that it also created countless new jobs.  He wants to blame kiosks and ATMs for unemployment which is just silly.  Also, when he talks about cost growing and paychecks not for most Americans he needs to realize that the core reason for that is him and his party.  They income killing regulations that they have introduced along with refusing to pass a budget when the Republicans have offered multiple budgets has created an uncertainty that has prevented growth and increased costs.

“In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn't afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people's money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn't have the authority to stop the bad behavior.”

Thank you Barney Frank.  That is all, look it up if you don’t get it.

“It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hard-working Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly four million jobs. And we lost another four million before our policies were in full effect.”

Once again, thank you Barney Frank.  Now, for that last sentence…  Actually the recession could have been avoided if the Dems would not have gotten in the way of some of the stuff that the Republicans managed to squeeze through at the end of the last Bush term.  Obama and the Dems policies actually slowed the recovery by allowed us to slip into the recession that they themselves had constructed in order to create an atmosphere of uncertainty so that Obama could get elected.  To put in in the words of one of Obama’s key advisors “Never waste a crisis.” 

“Those are the facts. But so are these. In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs. Last year, they created the most jobs since 2005. American manufacturers are hiring again, creating jobs for the first time since the late 1990s. Together, we've agreed to cut the deficit by more than $2 trillion. And we've put in place new rules to hold Wall Street accountable, so a crisis like that never happens again.”

Poor, poor, Obama.  He really needs a fact checker.  Businesses have not created more than 3 million jobs, they have reopened those positions… and in some cases those jobs can be counted multiple times due to reopening, then having to close the position again, then reopening again.  It makes it sound good if you count if all like that but it is not realistic, otherwise unemployment would be much lower.  Also, it is not the most jobs since 2005 (which is right before the Dems took control of both the House and Senate) it is the most since 2008, when Obama took office

As for the line about American Manufacturers hiring again for the first time since the 90’s… That is utter BS and I am calling Obama on that.

The truth behind the deficit cut is simple.  It wasn’t cut.  They agreed to reduce spending not cut spending; there is a big difference there. On top of that the reduction turned out to be in the million not the trillions, I did a post on this when it happened, go read it please.

As for the Wall Street thing… They were just playing by the rules and regulations that the Dems placed there for them; can you blame them for wanting to make more money?  So when you think about it, this is really all the Dems fault for making rules that they didn’t like.  So what do they do, they change them which shakes things up so much that they have now gimped Wall Street which is one of the things that is slowing the economic recovery.

“The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we've come too far to turn back now. As long as I'm President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.”

This is to you Mr. President.  No it isn’t and no we haven’t.  You need to stop lying about being willing to work with anyone that was in that chamber because you have purposefully obstructed anything the Republicans have tried to do because it didn’t fit your vision of how things should be.  As for your fighting obstruction with action… learn your place.  You do not have the power to go over Congresses head unless they let you and you have overstepped your bounds way to many times for most Americans to feel comfortable with.  You have been the obstructionist and you, while you were in the Senate, were one of the people that wrote the policies that brought about this “economic crisis”.  So get over yourself you narcissistic fool.

“No, we will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.

This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.”

This would be all fine and dandy if I thought Obama really believed the words that he was reading off of his teleprompter but the facts are very simple if you look at Obama’s past performances.  This is the exact opposite of everything he has done in the past.  Could it be possible that the man has had a change of heart?  Yes, but not likely.  Obama is only saying this now because he knows that he has severely hurt his chances at reelection and he is trying desperately to get the American people back on his side otherwise he knows that he will be a one termer that will be known as he already is as the worst President in American history.

“On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs.

We bet on American workers. We bet on American ingenuity. And tonight, the American auto industry is back.”

Obama left out some key details in this.  The bailout of General Motors and Chrysler began under Republican President George W. Bush, something Obama failed to mention.  Obama then picked up the ball once he was elected and earmarked more money which then finished the job.  But Ford, which Obama mentions, never asked for a federal bailout nor did it receive one.  Ford has managed to get along quite well on its own without a bailout as the other auto companies should have been able to as well.  Also, as part of its restructuring, Chrysler is not really a U.S. automaker anymore.  Italian automaker Fiat now owns a 30% share, and it will eventually go to 51% under terms of the U.S. bailout and its bankruptcy restructuring.  On top of that, I think that Volkswagen would have a problem with the claim that GM is on top as the world’s #1 automaker.  Volkswagen has outperformed everyone else on the world market and is proud of it; GM hasn’t even come close to their numbers.

Once again I think Obama either needs to hire a new fact checker or quit lying.  The American people are sick of this kind stuff from our politicians.

More to come with Part 3.

Obama's State Of The Union 2012 Part 1

Ok, I have debated with myself on how to approach the President’s State of the Union speech and after agonizing over how to present it to you, I figured that the best approach would be in multiple parts where I present it verbatim section by section and break it down for you.  This will allow me to point out all of the truths, half-truths and lies (as well as my own opinionated opinions) that are held within it, so please bear with me; this is a long winded speech.  So without further delay, here it is.

“Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq.  Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought - and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world.  For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq.  For the first time in two decades, Osama Bin Laden is not a threat to this country.  Most of Al Qaeda's top lieutenants have been defeated.  The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.”

Ok, not a bad start for the President, I will give him that.  There aren’t many lies in what he says here.  One of the things he does here is sets it up to sound ling all of the things are due to him though which is not the whole truth.  He talks about there being no Americans still fighting in Iraq which is a blatant lie.  We still have a lot of private contractors that are over there and they have to fight everyday just to be able to do the job that has been given to them.  No matter how he wants to spin it, Americans are still at risk in Iraq, especially since he pulled all of the troops that were supposed to be protecting them out of the country.  Iraq is quickly falling into chaos because he decided to ignore his generals and pull the troops out of that country. 

He should really give Bush the credit for some of these deeds yet his narcissism won’t allow him to do that.  When he talks about the USA being safer and more respected in the world due to our troops that have sacrificed themselves overseas, he isn’t lying, yet one of the things that he neglects to say is that due to his incompetence we actually have lost that safety and respect that the troops have bought us.  He also mentions Osama Bin Laden.  I’m sorry, but the last time I checked that was a mission that carried over from Bush.  Obama just happened to be lucky enough to be in office when the time to take Bin Laden out arose.  He really should have given credit to where it was due, Bush and Seal Team 6. 

He also mentions that most of Al Qaeda’s to lieutenants where defeated.  That is true, most were taken out under Bush, not him though, once again, it would have been nice to see him man up and give credit where it was due.  One thing Obama failed to mention though is that were one lieutenant has fallen, two have taken the place of the one.  He talks about the momentum of the Taliban being broken, well that is true, yet they have not been deterred.  The Taliban is more determined now then every to take us out. 

Oh, and before I forget, I can’t argue with the fact that troops are starting to come home from Afghanistan because they are.  Though he really needs to go and look back at history.  He need to look at what all actually led up to allowing 9-11 to happen.  Obama is making all of the mistakes Clinton made that set us up for the events of September 11^th.

“These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness, and teamwork of America's Armed Forces.  At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations.  They're not consumed with personal ambition.  They don't obsess over their differences.  They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.”

I want to comment on this statement so bad, I do but I’m afraid I might come across as bitter…  Screw it, here it is…  This is obviously a jab at the Republican controlled Congress and Wall Street as well as capitalism as a whole in order to appeal to the Occupy zombies that drool over his every word.  What he fails to mention is the fact that him and his party are the direct cause of these institutions supposedly letting us down.  The Democrat party has pushed legislation for the last 6 years that has caused Wall Street and the whole capitalistic system to fail us by over regulating and obstructing the system from doing what it is supposed to do.  On top of that, the Congress has done its job to the best of their ability.  They have passed budgets and bills that have been completely ignored in the House so that the Dems in the House would not have to go on record as voting them down because they know that if they did they would be voted out.  That is one of the reasons we have not had a budget passed for over 1,000 days.  If Obama and the Democrat party would do their Job things would have gotten done and we would not be where we are now.

“Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example.  Think about the America within our reach:  A country that leads the world in educating its people.  An America that attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs.  A future where we're in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren't so tied to unstable parts of the world.  An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.”

Thinking about it and wishing for it is fine Mr. President, but you actually have to do something to make this happen.  So far you have done everything in your power to prevent any of the things you mention here from having a chance to happen.  You can’t have it both ways you know. 

“We can do this.  I know we can, because we've done it before.  At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known.  My grandfather, a veteran of Patton's Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.  My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.”

Actually the strongest economy and middle class that the US has ever had came from when Regan was President.  As for the troop being able to build a strong economy and middle class… How?  You fired a good chunk of them that will now become an unnecessary burden on society because of your incompetence.  If this was your desire you should have kept them employed so that they could be called out on a moment’s notice and once they returned to the US put them to work on domestic projects like protecting our borders… but wait, you don’t want that either. But you know what; I am done addressing you Mr. President. I have more important people to talk to… like your employers, the American people.

“The two of them shared the optimism of a Nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism.  They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share - the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.”

Obama talks about the American dream as if it were a thing of the past, and if he would be honest about it he would tell you that if he had his way it would be.  The fact of the matter is the American dream still lives though if we continue to allow people like him to dictate our lives to us then the dream will die.  Everything he is talking about Americans being able to do in the past tense is still possible and will remain so as long as we the people have the guts to hold on to it.

“The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive.  No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important.  We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by.  Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.  What's at stake are not Democratic values or Republican values, but American values.  We have to reclaim them.”

Well, I actually have to agree with Obama here, I do; and the path to restoring our nation defiantly isn’t re-electing this idiot into office.  What we need in order to do what he states here is to elect someone who will be brutally honest with the American people.  Also we the people have to have the patience to let said individual do what needs to be done to pull us out of the hole that we are in.  Unfortunately, none of the people we currently have running for the office of President are the type of person that we need and that is solely our (the American peoples) fault.  I have always felt that brutal honesty is the best policy but as long as we have silver tonged politicians in office instead of honest hard working Americans, we will never get it.  With this line Obama has laid out the exact reason that he does not need to be re-elected.

That is it for part 1, I hope to have part 2 up soon, but as I said before, this is a long winded speech.  I was hoping to get more in this post but I have already gone on much longer then I wanted.  Most of my posts are between 2 to 3 pages in Word; this post is 4 pages just to give you an idea.  I don’t know how many posts it will take to get through this whole thing but I hope it has been educational for you and you will come back for all the parts as I get them up.

What Is To Come And A Letter To Obama

Just to let all of you who read my blog know, I am slowly but surely working my way through a transcript of Obamas State of the Union speech.  I plan on breaking the whole thing down piece by piece, dissecting it so that you won’t have too.  It will more than likely be a multi-part post because of how long winded the speech is and all the crap there is to talk about that is in the speech.  Once I finish slugging through the whole thing I will get to work on the posts.  Thank you for your time and patience. 

Though, since I have you here…  I don’t know if you have heard about Obama’s childish little blow up at the Governor of Arizona, Gov. Jan Brewer because she didn’t talk favorably about him in her book.  Let us examine this for a minuet…  She is a Republican Governor of a mostly Republican state that has been targeted by Obama and his Justice Department over the state trying to enforce immigration laws by making their own since the Federal Government refuses to do its job on Obama’s orders…  On top of that, the DoJ is targeting individual law enforcement agencies in her state with the express interest of preventing them from enforcing the laws that protect its citizens… 

Talking to you now, Obama.  You wonder why she talked poorly about you in her book?  Perhaps because of all the crap you have done to try to harm her state and the people therein.  Are you so narcissistic that you can’t comprehend that if you treat people poorly that they are going to return the favor?  Do you understand that your idiotic actions have consequences?  What kind of world do you live in?  Do you live in a fantasy land where you do no wrong and everyone loves you because there is no other way that they could possibly feel since you obviously are the second coming?  You sicken and disgust me with how pathetic you are.  You need to grow the hell up and get over yourself.  Just because you won the election (and through increasingly suspicious means…) doesn’t mean everyone is going to like you and the bs line that anyone who doesn’t line you must be racist is just that, bs.  You want to know why I don’t like you?  I don’t like you because you are actively trying to destroy the country that I love with your socialistic and communistic policies.  It has nothing to do with your race so get over it.  You are supposed to be an adult, act like one and quit crying you sniveling little baby!

Sorry about that, my dear readers.  I had to get that out.  Anyway, I hope to have my breakdown of Obama’s speech part 1 up soon.  Thank you once again for your time and patience.

SOPA and PIPA - The Path To Obstruction

Ok, I know I am a little late to the game with this piece, but I feel this needs to be said therefor I am saying it.  The subjects I am going to talk about are the now infamous SOPA and PIPA bills that have yet to be presented in Congress.  Luckily SOPA has been set on the back burner for now while congress tries to figure out a way to change the language so that it is not as intrusive as it is in its current form.  At least that is the story that is being fed to us.  I believe that Congress is just waiting for our short term memories to forget about SOPA so that they can try to pass it again under a different name.  PIPA is still up for a vote soon unless something drastic happens.  Hopefully, the internet wide protests that occurred when SOPA was about to be brought up will have had an impact on PIPA, if not, then maybe we will have another protest only wider spread.  Ok, I guess since not everyone out there keeps up with current events, I need to start out by telling you all what SOPA and PIPA are.

I will start with SOPA, which stands for “Stop Online Piracy Act”.  Of the two bills, SOPA is the more extreme in its language and potential execution.  It intended to help fight copy right infringement on foreign websites.  One of the tools SOPA provided allowed the U.S. Department of Justice could seek court orders requiring Internet service providers such as AOL, Comcast and Charter to block the domain names of “infringing sites”.  For example, Comcast could prevent its customers from accessing megaupload.com.  Luckily, this was one of the parts of SOPA that was dropped due to the opposition as well as the impracticality of actually enforcing it.  The other tool would allow rights holders to seek court orders requiring payment providers, advertisers and search engines to stop doing business with an “infringing site”.  Because of this, the rights holders would also be able to request for funding to be cut off from an “infringing site”, and that all search links leading to the offending site be required to be removed. Then site in question would have five days to appeal any action taken against them.  Also, SOPA defines an “infringing site" as any site that is "committing or facilitating" copyright infringement, this blankets both domestic and foreign sites.

Now on to the subject of PIPA.  PIPA stands for “Protect Intellectual Properties Act”.  For the most part, PIPA is almost identical to SOPA with the main difference being the language.  As I said before SOPA is the more extreme of the two.  Whereas SOPA is very broad in its reach when it comes to a site that is committing or facilitating" copyright infringement, PIPA only target sites that have “no other significant use other than copyright infringement”.  What this mean is, if any website has any purpose other than providing copyrighted material it should be safe from the ramifications of the bill, though a site will still have to prove that it is for other uses other than pirating.  Sites that fileshare such as Rapidshare should, in theory, be safe from prosecution because they remove copyrighted material as soon as the owner of copyright requests it, while sites like Megaupload and PirateBay would be targeted due to their attempts to obstruct any attempts to force the removal of copyrighted material. 

Speaking of Megaupload… want to see something that should terrify you?  Go to megaupload.com and then come back here, I’ll wait…  See?  That is terrifying.  Why?  Because, Megaupload is based out of Hong Kong and the owner of the site was arrested from his home in New Zealand when the FBI had the site brought down.  Yeah, anyway, Megaupload is supposedly NOT a victim of the fallout from upset bureaucrats over the dismissal of SOPA, yet I find the timing very suspicious.  But I digress.

Now that I have given you some info on SOPA and PIPA I am going to tell you about my opinion of these two bills.  SOPA and PIPA both are good in their intentions, they are.  The main problem with them comes in the language that is used in the bills.  I am all for protecting an individual’s intellectual properties, I am, but this hits a little close to home with me in the aspect of writing, therefor I am going to approach this from that viewpoint.  After all, if someone stole the novel I wrote and distributed it without my permission and I, then, was unable take make any money off of it due to that, I would be upset.  I know some people think that authors that get published make tons of money on their books, but unless an author is extremely prolific or well sold, such as Stephen King, they are not going to make a lot of money off of their writing (unless they are very lucky).  When someone takes their book and uploads it to a site so that it can be distributed illegally that cuts into the sales of the book which cuts into the profits of the publisher and the royalties of the writer.  Lack of sales creates lack of prints which then, if taken to its ultimate end, creates lack of work for the author.  There are some companies that have found a way to profit from allowing books to be downloaded free of charge on select titles (Baen is one of them) but once again I digress.

SOPA and PIPA, like I said before are written with good intentions but they take the anti-piracy laws that we currently have and hype them up on steroids creating monstrous blanket laws that will infringe upon everyone’s life negatively in some way.  I don’t care who you are, once these laws go into effect no one will be safe from them, and if taken to the extreme that everyone is afraid they will be taken to, even the owners of the properties that these laws are meant to protects will be harmed by them.  Imagine an internet without ANY copyrighted material on it.  That is the most extreme that these laws could potentially be taken too.  I doubt they would go that far but dumber things have happened, after all look at who we currently have as President.  

A realistic example of what is most likely to come out of either of these laws being passed is something along these lines…  If you like to read or write fan fiction (fan stories based on intellectual properties such as popular books, games and TV series), you would no longer be allowed to write and distribute your stories nor could you receive and read the stories of others.  Sites like YouTube and Deviant Art would have over 90% of their content stripped from them if there were not shut down.  You could no longer read movie or book reviews online because they are based off of intellectual properties.  Keep in mind, this is a realistic scenario.  Sites that offer services like Netflix could be shut down at the whim of someone who thinks that they are not getting paid enough for the rights to be displayed by those services.  The internet as we know it would go away. 

SOPA and PIPA don’t need to just have the language changed; they need to be completely retooled in order to help strengthen our current anti-piracy laws instead of trying to override them with blanket laws that are so vaguely worded that they can be interpreted however anyone wants to interpret them to suit their desires.  As it is, the laws we currently have are not effective, but I would take what we have over having our freedoms online striped from us almost completely.  When we go down the path that SOPA and PIPA inadvertently will place us on, we will be brought that much closer to a communistic society. 

Here in America we should realize the value of freedom and work to defend that freedom.  For too long we have let the politician that sit in Washington slowly strip us from our natural born freedoms while telling us that it is for our own good.  Hell, we currently have 32% of the population of this country who are happy with a President that has effectively said he wants to be our Dictator and will do what is necessary to become said Dictator (more on that in my next post where I tear apart Obama’s State of the Union speech.) if re-elected.  We need to stand up and tell Washington DC “NO MORE!”  and then start pushing for a real change that preserves and restores our freedom to where it should be.