Chairman Paul Ryan’s Republican Address to the Nation
[TRANSCRIPT from Rep. Ryan's Office]

"Good evening. I'm Congressman Paul Ryan from Janesville, Wisconsin – and Chairman here at the House Budget Committee.

"President Obama just addressed a Congressional chamber filled with many new faces. One face we did not see tonight was that of our friend and colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. We all miss Gabby and her cheerful spirit; and we are praying for her return to the House Chamber.

"Earlier this month, President Obama spoke movingly at a memorial event for the six people who died on that violent morning in Tucson. Still, there are no words that can lift the sorrow that now engulfs the families and friends of the fallen.

"What we can do is assure them that the nation is praying for them; that, in the words of the Psalmist, the Lord heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds; and that over time grace will replace grief.

"As Gabby continues to make encouraging progress, we must keep her and the others in our thoughts as we attend to the work now before us.

"Tonight, the President focused a lot of attention on our economy in general – and on our deficit and debt in particular.

"He was right to do so, and some of his words were reassuring. As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I assure you that we want to work with the President to restrain federal spending.

"In one of our first acts in the new majority, House Republicans voted to cut Congress's own budget. And just today, the House voted to restore the spending discipline that Washington sorely needs.

"The reason is simple.

"A few years ago, reducing spending was important. Today, it's imperative. Here's why.

"We face a crushing burden of debt. The debt will soon eclipse our entire economy, and grow to catastrophic levels in the years ahead.

"On this current path, when my three children – who are now 6, 7, and 8 years old – are raising their own children, the Federal government will double in size, and so will the taxes they pay.

"No economy can sustain such high levels of debt and taxation. The next generation will inherit a stagnant economy and a diminished country.

"Frankly, it's one of my greatest concerns as a parent – and I know many of you feel the same way.

"Our debt is the product of acts by many presidents and many Congresses over many years. No one person or party is responsible for it.

"There is no doubt the President came into office facing a severe fiscal and economic situation.

"Unfortunately, instead of restoring the fundamentals of economic growth, he engaged in a stimulus spending spree that not only failed to deliver on its promise to create jobs, but also plunged us even deeper into debt.

"The facts are clear: Since taking office, President Obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25% for domestic government agencies – an 84% increase when you include the failed stimulus.

"All of this new government spending was sold as "investment." Yet after two years, the unemployment rate remains above 9% and government has added over $3 trillion to our debt.

"Then the President and his party made matters even worse, by creating a new open-ended health care entitlement.

"What we already know about the President's health care law is this: Costs are going up, premiums are rising, and millions of people will lose the coverage they currently have. Job creation is being stifled by all of its taxes, penalties, mandates and fees.

"Businesses and unions from around the country are asking the Obama Administration for waivers from the mandates. Washington should not be in the business of picking winners and losers. The President mentioned the need for regulatory reform to ease the burden on American businesses. We agree – and we think his health care law would be a great place to start.

"Last week, House Republicans voted for a full repeal of this law, as we pledged to do, and we will work to replace it with fiscally responsible, patient-centered reforms that actually reduce costs and expand coverage.

"Health care spending is driving the explosive growth of our debt. And the President's law is accelerating our country toward bankruptcy.

"Our debt is out of control. What was a fiscal challenge is now a fiscal crisis.

"We cannot deny it; instead we must, as Americans, confront it responsibly.

"And that is exactly what Republicans pledge to do.

"Americans are skeptical of both political parties, and that skepticism is justified – especially when it comes to spending. So hold all of us accountable.

"In this very room, the House will produce, debate, and advance a budget. Last year – in an unprecedented failure – Congress chose not to pass, or even propose a budget. The spending spree continued unchecked.

"We owe you a better choice and a different vision.

"Our forthcoming budget is our obligation to you – to show you how we intend to do things differently ... how we will cut spending to get the debt down... help create jobs and prosperity ... and reform government programs. If we act soon, and if we act responsibly, people in and near retirement will be protected.

"These budget debates are not just about the programs of government; they're also about the purpose of government.

"So I'd like to share with you the principles that guide us. They are anchored in the wisdom of the founders; in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence; and in the words of the American Constitution.

"They have to do with the importance of limited government; and with the blessing of self-government.

"We believe government's role is both vital and limited – to defend the nation from attack and provide for the common defense ... to secure our borders... to protect innocent life... to uphold our laws and Constitutional rights ... to ensure domestic tranquility and equal opportunity ... and to help provide a safety not for those who cannot provide for themselves.

"We believe that the government has an important role to create the conditions that promote entrepreneurship, upward mobility, and individual responsibility.

"We believe, as our founders did, that "the pursuit of happiness" depends upon individual liberty; and individual liberty requires limited government.

"Limited government also means effective government. When government takes on too many tasks, it usually doesn't do any of them very well. It's no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high.

"The President and the Democratic Leadership have shown, by their actions, that they believe government needs to increase its size and its reach, its price tag and its power.

"Whether sold as "stimulus" or repackaged as "investment," their actions show they want a Federal government that controls too much; taxes too much; and spends too much in order to do too much.

"And during the last two years, that is exactly what we have gotten – along with record deficits and debt – to the point where the President is now urging Congress to increase the debt limit.

"We believe the days of business as usual must come to an end. We hold to a couple of simple convictions: Endless borrowing is not a strategy; spending cuts have to come first.

"Our nation is approaching a tipping point.

"We are at a moment, where if government's growth is left unchecked and unchallenged, America's best century will be considered our past century. This is a future in which we will transform our social safety net into a hammock, which lulls able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency.

"Depending on bureaucracy to foster innovation, competitiveness, and wise consumer choices has never worked – and it won't work now.

"We need to chart a new course.

"Speaking candidly, as one citizen to another: We still have time... but not much time. If we continue down our current path, we know what our future will be.

"Just take a look at what's happening to Greece, Ireland, the United Kingdom and other nations in Europe. They didn't act soon enough; and now their governments have been forced to impose painful austerity measures: large benefit cuts to seniors and huge tax increases on everybody.

"Their day of reckoning has arrived. Ours is around the corner. That is why we must act now.

"Some people will back away from this challenge. But I see this challenge as an opportunity to rebuild what Lincoln called the "central ideas" of the Republic.

"We believe a renewed commitment to limited government will unshackle our economy and create millions of new jobs and opportunities for all people, of every background, to succeed and prosper. Under this approach, the spirit of initiative – not political clout – determines who succeeds.

"Millions of families have fallen on hard times not because of our ideals of free enterprise – but because our leaders failed to live up to those ideals; because of poor decisions made in Washington and Wall Street that caused a financial crisis, squandered our savings, broke our trust, and crippled our economy.

"Today, a similar kind of irresponsibility threatens not only our livelihoods but our way of life.

"We need to reclaim our American system of limited government, low taxes, reasonable regulations, and sound money, which has blessed us with unprecedented prosperity. And it has done more to help the poor than any other economic system ever designed. That's the real secret to job creation – not borrowing and spending more money in Washington.

"Limited government and free enterprise have helped make America the greatest nation on earth.

"These are not easy times, but America is an exceptional nation. In all the chapters of human history, there has never been anything quite like America. The American story has been cherished, advanced, and defended over the centuries.

"And it now falls to this generation to pass on to our children a nation that is stronger, more vibrant, more decent, and better than the one we inherited.

"Thank you and good night."

Excerpts as Prepared for Delivery

Washington (Jan 25) Tonight, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) will deliver the Republican address following the President’s State of the Union message from the House Budget Committee hearing room, where the Democrats’ spending spree will end and the Republicans’ push for a fiscally responsible budget that cuts spending will begin.  Following are excerpts from Chairman Ryan’s address:

REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS: “President Obama just addressed a Congressional chamber filled with many new faces.  One face we did not see tonight was that of our friend and colleague, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona.  We all miss Gabby and her cheerful spirit; and we are praying for her return to the House Chamber.” 

**********

SPENDING: “In one of our first acts in the new majority, House Republicans voted to cut Congress’s own budget.  And just today, the House voted to restore the spending discipline that Washington sorely needs.  The reason is simple.  A few years ago, reducing spending was important.  Today, it’s imperative.  Here’s why.  We face a crushing burden of debt.  The debt will soon eclipse our entire economy, and grow to catastrophic levels in the years ahead.  On this current path, when my three children – who are now 6, 7, and 8 years old – are raising their own children, the federal government will double in size, and so will the taxes they pay.  No economy can sustain such high levels of debt and taxation.  The next generation will inherit a stagnant economy and a diminished country.  Frankly, it’s one of my greatest concerns as a parent – and I know many of you feel the same way.”

**********

BUDGET: “Americans are skeptical of both political parties, and that skepticism is justified – especially when it comes to spending.  So hold all of us accountable.  In this very room, the House will produce, debate, and advance a budget.  Last year – in an unprecedented failure– Congress chose not to pass, or even propose a budget.  The spending spree continued unchecked.  We owe you a better choice and a different vision.  Our forthcoming budget is our obligation to you – to show you how we intend to do things differently, how we will cut spending to get the debt down, help create jobs and prosperity, and reform government programs.”

**********

FISCAL CHALLENGE AHEAD: “Our nation is approaching a tipping point.  We are at a moment, where if government’s growth is left unchecked and unchallenged, America’s best century will be considered our past century. This is a future in which we will transform our social safety net into a hammock, which lulls able-bodied people into lives of complacency and dependency.  Depending on bureaucracy to foster innovation, competitiveness, and wise consumer choices has never worked – and it won’t work now.  We need to chart a new course.”

**********

“STIMULUS”: “The facts are clear: Since taking office, President Obama has signed into law spending increases of nearly 25% for domestic government agencies – an 84% increase when you include the failed stimulus.  All of this new government spending was sold as ‘investment.’  Yet after two years, the unemployment rate remains above 9% and government has added over $3 trillion to our debt.”

**********

HEALTH CARE: “What we already know about the President’s health care law is this: Costs are going up, premiums are rising, and millions of people will lose the coverage they currently have.  Job creation is being stifled by all of its taxes, penalties, mandates and fees.  Businesses and unions from around the country are asking the Obama Administration for waivers from the mandates.  Washington should not be in the business of picking winners and losers.  The President mentioned the need for regulatory reform to ease the burden on American businesses. We agree – and we think his health care law would be a great place to start. Last week, House Republicans voted for a full repeal of this law, as we pledged to do, and we will work to replace it with fiscally responsible, patient-centered reforms that actually reduce costs and expand coverage.”

**********

DEBT LIMIT: “Whether sold as ‘stimulus’ or repackaged as ‘investment,’ their actions show they want a federal government that controls too much; taxes too much; and spends too much in order to do too much.  And during the last two years, that is exactly what we have gotten – along with record deficits and debt – to the point where the President is now urging Congress to increase the debt limit.  We believe the days of business as usual must come to an end.  We hold to a couple of simple convictions: Endless borrowing is not a strategy; spending cuts have to come first.”

**********

ROLE OF GOVERNMENT: “We believe government’s role is both vital and limited – to defend the nation from attack and provide for the common defense …  to secure our borders… to protect innocent life… to uphold our laws and Constitutional rights … to ensure domestic tranquility and equal opportunity … and to help provide a safety net for those who cannot provide for themselves.  We believe that the government has an important role to create the conditions that promote entrepreneurship, upward mobility, and individual responsibility.  We believe, as our founders did, that ‘the pursuit of happiness’ depends upon individual liberty; and individual liberty requires limited government.  Limited government also means effective government.  When government takes on too many tasks, it usually doesn’t do any of them very well.  It’s no coincidence that trust in government is at an all-time low now that the size of government is at an all-time high.”

**********

LIMITED GOVERNMENT: “We need to reclaim our American system of limited government, low taxes, reasonable regulations, and sound money, which has blessed us with unprecedented prosperity.  And it has done more to help the poor than any other economic system ever designed.  That’s the real secret to job creation – not borrowing and spending more money in Washington.  Limited government and free enterprise have helped make America the greatest nation on earth.”

­­#####


Ed. note.: The response by Rep. Bachmann drew a lot of commentary.  CNN was the only network to run it.  Despite Bachmann's protestation in her opening, some observers did see it as competing with Rep. Ryan's official response.  Additionally, critics pointed out that throughout the presentation she seemed to be looking slightly to the left of the camera, as if the teleprompter were not properly aligned.  Further, the two charts she used presented selected data in an amateurish fashion.  "Saturday Night Live" parodied Bachmann's response on Jan. 29.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
Tea Party Express Response
[DEMOCRACY IN ACTION TRANSCRIPT]

Good evening, my name is Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota's 6th District.

I want to thank the Tea Party Express and Tea Party HD for inviting me to speak this evening. I'm here at their request and not to compete with the official Republican remarks.

The Tea Party is a dynamic force for good in our national conversation, and it's an honor for me to speak with you.

Two years ago, when Barack Obama became our President, unemployment was 7.8 percent and our national debt stood at what seemed like a staggering $10.6 trillion dollars. We wondered whether the President would cut spending, reduce the deficit and implement real job-creating policies.

Unfortunately, the President’s strategy for recovery was to spend a trillion dollars on a failed stimulus program, fueled by borrowed money. The White House promised us that all the spending would keep unemployment under 8 percent. Well not only did that plan fail to deliver, but within three months the national jobless rate spiked to 9.4 percent. It hasn’t been lower for 20 straight months. While the government grew, we lost more than 2 million jobs.

Let me show you a chart.  [Chart]

Here are unemployment rates over the past ten years. In October 2001, our national unemployment rate was at 5.3 percent. In 2008 it was at 6.6 percent. But, just eight months after President Obama promised lower unemployment, that rate spiked to a staggering 10.1 percent. Today, unemployment is at 9.4 percent with about 400,000 new claims every week.

After the $700 billion bailout, the trillion-dollar stimulus, and the massive budget bill with over 9,000 earmarks, many of you implored Washington to please stop spending money that we don’t have. But, instead of cutting, we saw an unprecedented explosion of government spending and debt; it was unlike anything we have ever seen before in the history of the country.

[Chart]

Well deficits were unacceptably high under President Bush, but they exploded under President Obama’s direction, growing the national debt by an astounding $3.1 trillion dollars.

Well what did we buy?

Instead of a leaner, smarter government, we bought a bureaucracy that now tells us which light bulbs to buy, and which may put 16,500 IRS agents in charge of policing President Obama’s healthcare bill. ObamaCare mandates and penalties may even force many job creators to stop offering health insurance altogether, unless of course yours is one of the more than 222 privileged companies or unions that's already received a government waiver under ObamaCare.

In the end, unless we fully repeal ObamaCare, a nation that currently enjoys the world’s finest healthcare might be forced to rely on government-run coverage; that could have a devastating impact on our national debt for even generations to come.

For two years President Obama made promises just like the ones we heard him make this evening. Yet still we have high unemployment, devalued housing prices and the cost of gasoline is skyrocketing. Well here's a few suggestions for fixing our economy:

We need to start making things again in this country, and we can do that by reducing the tax and regulatory burdens on job creators. America will have the highest corporate tax rate in the world. Think about that.  Look no further to see why jobs are moving overseas.

But, thanks to you, there’s reason to hope that real spending cuts are coming. Because last November you went to the polls and voted out big-spending politicians and you put in their place men and women with a commitment to follow the Constitution and cut the size of government. I believe that we're in the early days of a history-making turn. Please know how important your calls, visits, and letters are to the maintenance of our liberties. Because of you, Congress is responding and we're just beginning to start to undo the damage that’s been done the last few years.

Becuase we believe in lower taxes, we believe in a limited view of government and exceptionalism in America. And I believe America is the indispensible nation of the world.

Just the creation of this nation was a miracle. Who can say that we won’t see a miracle again? The perilous battle that was fought in the Pacific, at Iwo Jima, was a battle against all odds, and yet this picture immortalizes the victory of young G.I.s over the incursion against the Japanese. These six young men raising the flag came to symbolize all of America coming together to beat back a totalitarian aggressor.

Our current debt crisis we face today is different, but we still need all of us to pull together. But we can do this. That’s our hope  We will push forward.  We will proclaim the liberty throughout the land. And we will do so because we the people will never give up on this great nation.

So, God bless you, and God bless the United States America.


RNC CHAIRMAN PRIEBUS STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus issued the following statement regarding President Obama’s State of the Union address:

“I appreciate President Obama joining Republicans and the American people in calling for fiscal restraint and a new focus on job creation, but rhetoric alone will not eliminate the job-crushing deficits and record unemployment that continue to hold back economic recovery.  Too often, the American people have heard similar commitments to job creation and deficit reduction from this President only to see those efforts shelved when they conflicted with his political agenda.  Americans understand that the big government, borrow-and-spend policies of the past two years are not the path to prosperity, but rather the surest way to keep the country careening towards a fiscal cliff.
 
“Tonight, my good friend and fellow Wisconsite Paul Ryan gave the American people a sobering assessment of the country’s dire fiscal state and clearly articulated the need to reverse course by curbing Washington’s addiction to spending. It is my hope that President Obama will follow through on his call for bipartisanship and work with Republicans to implement the fiscally responsible, pro-growth policies necessary to guarantee our nation’s economic security for generations to come.”
 
###


DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Praises President Obama for Laying Out Vision for

“Winning the Future” in State of the Union Address

 

Kaine Says Creating Jobs and Making U.S. Globally Competitive Through Emphasis on Education, Innovation, Infrastructure, Deficit Reduction and Government Reform is Approach Republicans and Democrats Should be Able to Agree on

 

Washington, DC – This evening, President Obama delivered the annual State of the Union address.  Following that address, DNC Chairman Tim Kaine issued the following statement:
 
“For more than two hundred years, in times of prosperity and times of hardship, American Presidents have presented their plan to win the future for the American people in the State of the Union address.  In his first State of the Union address, President Obama spoke to a nation in crisis.  He reviewed the steps already taken to address that crisis and laid out his plan for reviving our economy and renewing the American spirit of opportunity.  In the year since, he has followed through on that plan.  As a result, President Obama tonight spoke to a nation that is beginning to heal.  For an increasing number of Americans, the pain of the economic crisis is receding as more businesses add jobs and more Americans return to the workplace.  Yet, as the President acknowledged, there is still much more work to be done to cement our economic progress and secure a new century of prosperity. 
 
“To that end, the President charted a bold plan to win the future today by guaranteeing that the American people are able to out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build competitors around the globe.  President Obama will make America stronger by empowering more students to get the quality education they need to succeed in 21st century jobs; by focusing on investments that support American talent and innovation; by building up American infrastructure; and by reforming government so that it’s more responsible and responsive.  He will give Americans the tools they need to reach for the American Dream.  And he will ensure that our children inherit a country as resplendent with opportunity as the one our parents passed down to us.

“I hope that in the coming year Congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle will join President Obama on the course he set tonight, working together to secure a new century of American greatness and a brighter future for all Americans.”


###


Libertarian response to State of the Union and Republicans

WASHINGTON - This evening, Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict spoke in response to the addresses from President Barack Obama and Congressman Paul Ryan.

Mr. Benedict's speech may be viewed online here.

A transcript of Mr. Benedict's speech follows:

Good evening and thank you for your interest in the State of our Union.

My name is Wes Benedict. I'm the executive director of the Libertarian National Committee here in Washington, DC. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace.

Tonight we heard from President Barack Obama and a response from Republican Congressman Paul Ryan.

President Obama says he wants a freeze in non-security, discretionary spending. In the unlikely event that happens, it won't really matter, because to make a real dent in the deficit, it's necessary to cut spending on the military and entitlements. The president promised big government in the past, and he delivered. I expect more of the same.

However, Obama has truly been a hypocrite on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a candidate, he promised to end them. Tonight we heard more hollow promises. The fact is, as president, he has kept those wars going, and has greatly escalated the war in Afghanistan. As a percentage of GDP, military spending is higher now than it was during any year of the George W. Bush administration.

Unlike President Obama, Libertarians would bring our troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan, and reduce the military budget.

On the Republican side, I found Congressman Paul Ryan's hypocrisy appalling. He claims to want big cuts in government spending. But he didn't seem to be too worried about cutting spending when Republicans were in charge. He supported the huge Medicare expansion in 2003, and the expensive No Child Left Behind Act in 2001. He supports the expensive War on Drugs. In 2008, he put hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars at risk by voting for the massive TARP bailout, and he even voted to spend billions on the GM and Chrysler bailout.

Just one month ago, Congressman Ryan voted for the tax compromise that included a big increase in unemployment spending, and even extensions of government spending on ethanol.

Republicans don't want to cut spending -- they want to talk about cutting spending.

Congressman Paul Ryan is a perfect example of why Republicans are bad for America.

Republicans' plans for Social Security and Medicare are little more than a distraction. It's time for someone to have the guts to tell seniors the truth: You were promised way too much, and now we've got to make major cuts. I'm asking retirees to think about the enormous debts piling up on your children and grandchildren.

Libertarians would stop spending billions on bailouts, the War on Drugs, federal education programs, and we would end mandatory Social Security and Medicare.

Today, America is a country that attracts hardworking immigrants from Mexico and around the world, leaving countries that are less free and prosperous. Libertarians welcome these immigrants warmly. But I often wonder if -- in 20 years -- America will still be a great place to live, or if it will be another declining civilization fraught with poverty and abuse that your children want to leave.

The future of America may depend on the Libertarian Party steering us towards liberty and away from tyranny.

The Libertarian Party is America's third-largest party, and one of the most successful alternative parties in American history.

We are recruiting bold, principled men and women dedicated to freedom to fill leadership positions and to run for office as Libertarians.

You don't have to agree with every single Libertarian position to join the Libertarian Party. You can still make a difference and help us move our country towards freedom.

The Libertarian Party has more information at our website, LP.org. Please visit LP.org and join the Libertarian Party today.

Thank you and good night.

For more information, or to arrange an interview, call LP Executive Director Wes Benedict at 202-333-0008 ext. 222.

The LP is America's third-largest political party, founded in 1971. The Libertarian Party stands for free markets, civil liberties, and peace. You can find more information on the Libertarian Party at our website.

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Green Party leaders respond to Obama's State of the Union speech

Greens on solving the deficit: end the wars, cut the military budget, tax the rich. Greens on solving the health care crisis: enact Medicare For All. Greens on jobs: a 'Green New Deal' with massive public investment in green jobs and clean energy.

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Green Party leaders offered comments on President Obama's 2011 State of the Union speech to Congress and the nation, scheduled for Tuesday, January 25. The Green response covers major issues the President will discuss in his speech, as well as topics he won't address.

The Green Party will air an online livestream with party members discussing the State of the Union, beginning at 9 pm ET, 6 pm PT, and running concurrently with the speech. Viewers can watch and participate on the Green Party Livestream channel (http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus). Call-in comments will be accepted on Skype after the speech ends.

"There's a lot of talk about Democrats and Republicans 'reaching across the aisle' during the State of the Union. What about the gap between Washington and the rest of the country, much wider than the aisle between the two Titanic parties?" said Carl Romanelli, 2006 Green candidate for the US Senate in Pennsylvania.

HEALTH CARE

Should the Democratic health care reform bill be repealed? Yes, say Greens, and replaced with a Medicare For All plan -- legislation for single-payer national health care, covering everyone regardless of ability to pay, age, or prior medical condition, while allowing freedom to choose one's physician and hospital. Medicare For All reduces costs dramatically by enabling price controls and because Medicare's overhead is only about 3%, while the for-profit health insurance bureaucracy -- the real "death panels" -- pad costs by up to 30% for administrative overhead, executive bonuses, and profits for investors. Medicare For All would help business and stimulate the economy by relieving employers of the burden of providing health benefits.

Obamacare and the Republicans' effort to overturn it demonstrate that the leadership of both parties care more about profits for the insurance cartel, Big Pharma, and other corporate interests than high-quality low-cost health care for everyone. The Obamacare mandate (originally a Republican idea from the 1990s) forces people who can't afford it to purchase defective, inadequate coverage from private insurance companies, while doing nothing about skyrocketing costs.

The narrow Democrat vs. Republican debate on health care, which refuses to allow even the argument for Medicare For All, proves the need to get Greens elected to Congress and state legislatures.

THE ECONOMY

There are millions of jobs waiting to be created in alternative energy, retrofitting of buildings and other forms of conservation, and expansion of public transportation to reduce car traffic, say Greens, but this can only happen with a 'Green New Deal' with public investment in these ideas at national, state, and local levels. All of the Green New Deal proposals have become vitally necessary in the century of global warming. See "Fast Forward to Renewable Energy" by Cecile Lawrence (http://www.greenpapers.net/?p=58).

Such measures face a huge political obstacle: opposition from Republicans and "moderate" Democrats who insist -- contrary to all evidence -- that the best way to stimulate the economy is to reduce government spending (by $100 billion, according to the GOP), slash taxes on the highest income brackets, privatize essential public services and resources, and send taxpayer-funded bailouts to reckless Wall Street firms.

The White House and Congress can reduce the deficit drastically by ending the wars and occupations in Afghanistan and Iraq, cutting military spending and the number of US bases on foreign soil, and taxing the wealthy so that they pay their fair share. Future meltdowns can be averted by breaking up the "too big to fail" financial firms into smaller locally-based companies. The Green Party's goal of a decentralized economy, based on Main Street rather the Wall Street, will restore economic stability and security to the US.

Instead of shilling for Wal-Mart's grocery section, First Lady Michelle Obama would do far more good by promoting local produce, small farms and businesses, local banks and credit unions, union jobs with good benefits at stores like Walmart, extended compensation for the unemployed, and aid for people dealing with home foreclosures, said Greens. Ms. Obama's promotion of Walmart coincides with efforts by the chain to open four department stores in Washington, DC, over the objections of many local residents and merchants.

CORPORATE 'PERSONHOOD'

On the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision upholding the legal status of corporations as person under the US Constitution, Green Party leader Sarah 'echo' Steiner announced that she intends to take the Supreme Court at its word and honor her marriage when she finds a suitable candidate. See "First Ever Marriage to a Corporation Contemplated by Single, Female, 39" (Jan. 18 press release, http://www.gp.org/press/pr-national.php?ID=384), as well as an interview and other links on the Green Party's home page (http://www.gp.org).

The decision, which abolished limits on corporate spending for political campaign ads, severely damages the integrity of US elections and caused a flood of misleading and offensive corporate-sponsored ads in the 2010 election season.

President Obama and some other Democrats initially criticized the Citizens United ruling but have taken no further action. Greens have urged the President and Congress to recognize that the growing power of corporations threatens democracy, economic stability, and human rights and freedoms in the US and abroad. The Green Party, along with Move To Amend (http://www.movetoamend.org), supports passage of an amendment that limits constitutional rights and protections to humans and makes corporations accountable to their own charters and to the public good.


MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Green candidate database and campaign information: http://www.gp.org/elections.shtml
Green Party News Center http://www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml
Green Party Speakers Bureau http://www.gp.org/speakers
Green Party ballot access page http://www.gp.org/ballotstatus
Green Party Livestream Channel http://www.livestream.com/greenpartyus


The Constitution Party's
Response to the President’s State of the Union Address
 
By
Darrell Castle
Vice-Chairman
Constitution Party National Committee

Last night President Obama delivered his State of the Union address, as he is required by the Constitution to do once each year. Although he covered many different areas, he concentrated on only three: the domestic economy, which includes what he called job creation, domestic policy topics such as education and energy, and foreign policy, which includes military and defense issues.

The President told us that the nation is doing well economically and is on its way to recovery from recession. Evidence of this recovery, according to the President, is the “booming stock market.”

My response is that it is utterly ridiculous to say that we are well into recovery because the stock market is booming. Tell that news to the 43 million plus who have to use food stamps to eat. Tell that to the 15 million plus unemployed people. That number would be much higher than 15 million if the government kept honest numbers and counted the people who are no longer looking for jobs. Tell that to the millions of underemployed who used to have good jobs in manufacturing with benefits and who now work in service-related jobs with no benefits.

The President said that we can’t live in the past with regard to our economy. For example, it used to take about 1000 jobs to operate a steel mill, but now it only takes 100, so we must adjust to that reality and innovate. What he didn’t say is that any jobs in steel are being performed in Korea and other countries and no amount of innovation will change that.

What then is the answer to our economic problems? First, do no more harm with bailouts. Stop all bailouts and recover any money previously committed to bailouts that has not already been spent. Withdraw from all so-called free trade agreements such as NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO, and GATT which have been largely responsible for the destruction of America’s manufacturing base. Remove the regulations and restrictions that prevent businesses from doing business in America and from hiring the people they need to make the things that people want to buy.

Finally, the economy cannot recover until the debt and deficit are resolved through de-leveraging of debt and control of spending.  Stop spending more than you take in. It is a simple concept that Americans understand but that apparently their politicians don’t. Once the debt and deficit are under control, the President should endeavor to drive a stake through the heart of the entire Federal Reserve system and return to a monetary system based on sound money principles. Stop the destruction of our currency immediately.

The President also told us that educationally we are doing well, but we can do better, so he launched a program called Race to the Top in all fifty states to replace No Child Left Behind. This is also total nonsense. The United States continues to lag behind other nations in math, science, and reading skills. Our system of education, controlled and paid for by the federal government, is a failure and should be scrapped and replaced with state and local control, with primary responsibility left to parents. There is no role for the federal government in education whatsoever.

The nation’s energy needs could be met largely by domestic production if we were to allow our own domestic sources of energy to be exploited by repeal of harmful laws that unnecessarily restrain production. Technology will now allow energy exploration and production with minimal damage to the environment.  This would prevent the US government from exploring for oil in the Middle East through military force and help foster a more peaceful world.

Finally, the President talked about “shaping” a better world through strengthening NATO and rebuilding our relationship with Russia. He stated that 100,000 of our troops have come home from Iraq with their heads held high. That is also complete nonsense. It’s not his job to shape the world, it’s his job to protect and defend the Constitution and the American people. Many of those 100,000 troops didn’t come home but went to Afghanistan instead. Thousands of others did come home but in boxes or in rehab hospitals.

What then is the foreign policy answer? Issue an order to General Patraeus and the other commanders to execute an immediate withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Then order a military withdrawal from the other 100 nations around the world where we have over 700 foreign bases. That would save many lives, much money, and would create far fewer enemies than we are creating now.

We simply must stop acting as if we own the world or as if we are responsible for it. That would not be isolationism but instead a lack of military domination. The US would trade with all nations who were willing to trade with us. Creditor nations would probably appreciate our new monetary policy whereby they were paid with real instead of counterfeit money.

If the President were to dedicate himself to the ideas proposed in this response to his speech, we would be well on our way to the most dynamic period in American history.



Posted on Free & Strong America blog, January 26, 2011
Governor Romney Responds to last night's State of the Union

“President Obama knows where he wants to go, but he has no idea how to get there. Under President Obama's economic leadership, more Americans have lost their jobs than any time in modern history. The on-the-job economic education of the President has cost American families almost a trillion dollars in failed stimulus schemes and, unfortunately, he's still failing the course. Rhetoric, however soaring, does not put pay checks in pay envelopes at the end of the week. You can't build a high speed rail system fast enough to outrun the President's misguided regulations, higher taxes or lack of focus on jobs. Hopefully he is learning. American families are depending on him."


Herman Cain Responds to 2011 State of the Union Address

Stockbridge, Georgia- Herman Cain, renowned business leader and recent founder of a presidential exploratory committee, issued this statement following President Obama’s State of the Union Address delivered January 25, 2011:

“While any State of the Union address is certainly a historic event for the American people, President Obama’s speech tonight failed to address the growing and persistent ills that plague our nation, largely symptomatic of an out-of-control government and in need of serious remedy.

President Obama said ‘investment.’ Americans heard ‘more government spending.’ President Obama said ‘job creation.’ We heard ‘…but not in the private sector.’ President Obama said it is time for civility. We heard ‘…for thee, not for me.’

The true state of our union is fragile, but the true will of the people is strong. The people will demand effective economic growth policies which were noticeably absent from the President’s speech.

The American people are taxed too much and too often. The jobs-killing health care overhaul saddles businesses and taxpayers with even costlier medical bills. Our national debt caused by unbridled spending will be an agonizing weight on the backs of our children and grandchildren. And the federal government is circumventing its Constitutional limits at nearly every turn.

It is my most sincere hope that President Obama takes heed of the warning signaled by voters across America on November 2, 2010: we are tired of ‘business as usual’ with new rhetoric and only with bold leadership based on Constitutional principles can this country get back on the road to prosperity.”

To request an interview with Herman Cain, contact Ellen Carmichael at (678) 947-3142 or emailellen.carmichael@hermancain.com.

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[This, from Newt Gingrich, is PRE-SPEECH]


Tonight, as you watch the SOTU address, share your reactions with me here on Facebook –Newt

by Newt Gingrich on Tuesday, January 25, 2011 at 4:44pm

President Obama has made the focus of his State of the Union address tonight “winning the future.”

It’s certainly a worthy goal.  In fact, in 2005 I wrote a book called “Winning the Future.”

But will the President’s speech focus on winning the future for politicians? Or the American people?

I hope you’ll let us know your thoughts in this thread during the speech or at the American Solutions Live Chat, linked below.

In addition, here are the top 5 ideas from my “Winning the Future” that President Obama could embrace immediately to show he’s on the side of the American people, not the politicians.

  1. UTILIZE AMERICA’S VAST ENERGY RESERVES, including oil, natural gas, wind and solar as well as the vast potential for nuclear power to produce clean abundant energy and American jobs.
  2. TAX REFORM TO FAVOR JOB CREATION, SAVINGS, INVESTMENT, PRODUCTIVITY, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, including eliminating the death tax and capital gains tax and making investments in human capital improvement 100 percent deductible for companies and individuals.
  3. GOVERNMENT REFORM TO MAKE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES LEANER, MORE ACCESSIBLE AND MORE EFFECTIVE, including acquisition reform, better use of information technology and changing government work rules to make it easier to reward good workers and fire bad ones.
  4. EDUCATION REFORM TO EMPHASIZE MATH AND SCIENCE LEARNING by giving tax incentives to those who pursue STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) degrees and allowing professionals using their math and science degrees to teach part time without having to go through the unionized credentialing process.
  5. JUDICIAL REFORM including tort reform to cut down on frivolous lawsuits and stopping the worrying trend of judges using foreign law as precedent in US cases.
Live chat link: http://www.americansolutions.com/take-action/2011/01/state-of-the-union-live-chat.php

Your Friend,

Newt


by Sarah Palin on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 12:22am


Obama’s Message to America: The Era of Big Government is Back, Now Help Me Pay For It

The President’s State of the Union address boiled down to this message: “The era of big government is here as long as I am, so help me pay for it.” He dubbed it a “Winning The Future” speech, but the title’s acronym seemed more accurate than much of the content.
 
Americans are growing impatient with a White House that still just doesn’t get it. The President proves he doesn’t understand that the biggest challenge facing our economy is today’s runaway debt when he states we want to make sure “we don’t get buried under a mountain a debt.” That’s the problem! We are buried under Mt. McKinley-sized debt. It’s at the heart of what is crippling our economy and taking our jobs. This is the concern that should be on every leader’s mind. Our country’s future is at stake, and we’re rapidly reaching a crisis point. Our government is spending too much, borrowing too much, and growing too much. Debt is stifling our private sector growth, and millions of Americans are desperately looking for work.
 
So, what was the President’s response? At a time when we need quick, decisive, and meaningful action to stop our looming debt crisis, President Obama gave us what politicians have for years: promises that more federal government “investment” (read: more government spending) is the solution.
 
He couched his proposals to grow government and increase spending in the language of “national greatness.” This seems to be the Obama administration’s version of American exceptionalism – an “exceptionally big government,” in which a centralized government declares that we shall be great and innovative and competitive, not by individual initiative, but by government decree. Where once he used words like “hope” and “change,” the President may now talk about “innovation” and “competition”; but the audacity of his recycled rhetoric no longer inspires hope.
 
Real leadership is more than just words; it’s deeds. The President’s deeds don’t lend confidence that we can trust his words spoken last night.
 
In the past, he promised us he’d make job creation his number one priority, while also cutting the deficit, eliminating waste, easing foreclosures in the housing markets, and making “tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.” What did we get? A record $1.5 trillion deficit, an 84% increase in federal spending, a trillion dollar stimulus that stimulated nothing but more Tea Party activism, 9+% unemployment (or 17% percent if you include those who have stopped looking for work or settled for part time jobs), 2.9 million home foreclosures last year, and a moratorium on offshore drilling that has led to more unemployment and $100 dollar a barrel oil.
 
The President glossed over the most important issue he needed to address last night: spending. He touched on deficit reduction, but his proposals amount to merely a quarter of the cuts in discretionary spending proposed by his own Deficit Reduction Commission, not to mention the $2.5 trillion in cuts over ten years suggested by the Republican Study Committee. And while we appreciate hearing the same President who gave us the trillion dollar Stimulus Package boondoggle finally concede that we need to cut earmarks, keep in mind that earmarks are a $16 billion drop in the $1.5 trillion ocean that is the federal deficit. Budget cuts won’t be popular, but they are vitally necessary or we will soon be a bankrupt country. It’s the responsibility of a leader to make sure the American people fully understand this.
 
As it is, the American people should fully understand that when the President talks about increased “investments” he’s talking about increased government spending. Cut away the rhetoric and you’ll also see that the White House’s real message on economic reform wasn’t one of substantial spending cuts, but of tax increases. When the President talks about simplifying the tax code, he’s made it clear that he’s not looking to cut your taxes; he’s looking for additional tax revenue from you. The tax “simplification” suggested by the President’s Deficit Reduction Commission would end up raising taxes by $1 trillion over the next decade. So, instead of bringing spending down in line with revenue, the President wants to raise our taxes to pay for his massive spending increases. It’s tax and spend in reverse: spend first, tax later.
 
And the Obama administration has a lot of half-baked ideas on where to spend our hard-earned money in pursuit of “national greatness.” These “investments,” as the President calls them, include everything from solar shingles to high speed trains. As we struggle to service our unsustainable debt, the only thing these “investments” will get us is a bullet train to bankruptcy.
 
With credit ratings agency Moody’s warning us that the federal government must reverse the rapid growth of national debt or face losing our triple-A rating, keep in mind that a nation doesn’t look so “great” when its credit rating is in tatters.
 
Of course, it’s nice to give a speech calling for “investment” and “competition” in order to reach greatness. It’s quite another thing to advocate and implement policies that truly encourage such things. Growing the federal government is not the answer.
 
Take education for example. It’s easy to declare the need for better education, but will throwing even more money at the issue really help? As the Cato Institute’s Michael Tanner notes, “the federal government has increased education spending by 188 percent in real terms since 1970 without seeing any substantial improvement in test scores.” If you want “innovation” and “competition,” then support school choice initiatives and less federal control over our state and local districts.
 
When it comes to energy issues, we heard more vague promises last night as the President’s rhetoric suggested an all-of-the-above solution to meeting our country’s energy needs. But again, his actions point in a different direction. He offers a vision of a future powered by what he refers to as “clean energy,” but how we will get there from here remains a mystery. In the meantime, he continues to stymie the responsible development of our own abundant conventional energy resources – the stuff we actually use right now to fuel our economy. His continued hostility towards domestic drilling means hundreds of thousands of well-paying jobs will not be created and millions of Americans will end up paying more at the pump. It also means we’ll continue to transfer hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars to foreign regimes that don’t have America’s interests at heart.
 
On the crucial issue of entitlement reform, the President offered nothing. This is shocking, because as he himself explained back in April 2009, “if we want to get serious about fiscal discipline…we will have to get serious about entitlement reform.” Even though the Medicare Trust Fund will run out of funds a mere six years from now, and the Social Security Trust Fund is filled mainly with IOUs, the President opted to kick the can down the road yet again. And once again, he was disingenuous when he suggested that meaningful reform would automatically expose people’s Social Security savings to a possible stock market crash. As Rep. Paul Ryan showed in his proposed Roadmap, and others have explained, it’s possible to come up with meaningful reform proposals that tackle projected shortfalls and offer workers more options to invest our own savings while still guaranteeing invested funds so they won’t fall victim to sudden swings in the stock market.
 
And what about that crucial issue confronting so many Americans who are struggling today – the lack of jobs? The President came to office promising that his massive, multi-trillion dollar spending programs would keep unemployment below 8%; but the lack of meaningful, pro-free market reforms in yesterday’s speech means his legacy will almost certainly be four years of above 8% unemployment, regardless of how much he increases federal spending (or perhaps I should say because of how much he’s increased it).
 
Perhaps the most nonsensical bit of double-speak we heard last night was when the President said that hitting job-creators with a tax increase isn’t “punishing their success. It’s about promoting America’s success.” But government taking more money from the small business entrepreneurs who create up to 70% of all jobs in this country is not “promoting America’s success.” It’s a disincentive that will result in less job creation. It is, in fact, punishing the success of the very people who created the innovation that the President has supposedly been praising.
 
Despite the flowery rhetoric, the President doesn’t seem to understand that individuals make America great, not the federal government. American greatness lies in the courage and hard work of individual innovators and entrepreneurs. America is an exceptional nation in part because we have historically been a country that rewards and affirms individual initiative and offers people the freedom to invest and create as they see fit – not as a government bureaucrat does. Yes, government can play an appropriate role in our free market by ensuring a level playing field to encourage honest competition without picking winners and losers. But by and large, government should get out of the way. Unfortunately, under President Obama’s leadership, government growth is in our way, and his “big government greatness” will not help matters.
 
Consider what his “big government greatness” really amounts to. It’s basically a corporatist agenda – it’s the collaboration between big government and the big businesses that have powerful friends in D.C. and can afford to hire big lobbyists. This collaboration works in a manner that distorts and corrupts true free market capitalism. This isn’t just old-fashioned big government liberalism; this is crony capitalism on steroids. In the interests of big business, we’re “investing” in technologies and industries that venture capitalists tell us are non-starters, but which will provide lucrative returns for some corporate interests who have major investments in these areas. In the interests of big government, we’re not reducing the size of our bloated government or cutting spending, we’re told the President will freeze it – at unsustainable, historic levels! In practice, this means that public sector employees (big government’s staunchest defenders) may not lose jobs, but millions of Americans in the private sector face lay offs because the ever-expanding government has squeezed out and crippled our economy under the weight of unsustainable debt.
 
Ronald Reagan said, “You can’t be for big government, big taxes, and big bureaucracy and still be for the little guy.” President Obama’s proposals last night stick the little guy with the bill, while big government and its big corporate partners prosper. The plain truth is our country simply cannot afford Barack Obama’s dream of an “exceptionally big government” that may help the big guys, but sticks it to the rest of us.
 
- Sarah Palin


AFL-CIO

Trumka: Obama’s Focus Must Be on Health of Middle Class, American Economy

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement on President Obama’s State of the Union message tonight.

Tonight President Obama called on the nation to look forward and spoke to our nation’s prospects and vulnerabilities: we are faced with opportunities for progress, but paralyzed by weak job growth and an economy that is increasingly out of balance for middle class families.

We strongly support the President’s vision on infrastructure to create good jobs and succeed in a global economy, and working people are ready to work with him and hold him to his promises.  We look forward to comprehensive and substantial proposals to rebuild our nation’s schools, bridges, and highways and invest in high speed rail, a smart electrical grid, universal broadband and the green jobs of the future.  We will  join the President as partners to help build bipartisan support for a sustained and strategic investment in America’s future. Labor and business, Democrats and Republicans should all be working together to ensure that we make the investments we need now to secure our future.

President Obama certainly understands our need to be competitive in manufacturing, new technology and skills.  But he must also understand that last-century trade deals that reward and encourage corporations that outsource American jobs will do little to generate net new jobs in the United States or raise living standards here or abroad.  Working people will continue to urge the President and his administration to stick to his campaign promises of reforming trade deals, so they do more than boost profits for multi-national corporations.

We firmly believe that we should not be cutting government spending when the economy is so weak.  This economy is failing to create jobs at an adequate pace to dig us out of the hole we’re in, and a spending freeze at this time will slow down job creation and growth – further worsening the deficit.  This is simply the wrong medicine at the wrong time. And it is essential that the President acts on the commitment he outlined tonight to strengthen and preserve our essential retirement security programs – Social Security and Medicare. All working people will continue to fight any proposals that aim to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits.

We must move boldly now to put 15 million Americans back to work and rebuild bargaining power and good jobs for our middle class. We believe the President is heading in the right direction– but as he outlined tonight, the yardstick must be the health of the middle class and the American economy.




Family Research Council

President Obama's State of the Union Address Leaves the Family Behind
January 26, 2011

Washington, D.C. - Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following statement in response to President Obama's second State of the Union Address:

"Tonight President Obama recognized the important role of parents in the educational achievement of their children. President Obama himself has set an example as a father and husband. However, the agenda he has pursued and articulated tonight does not strengthen the kind of family children need: one with a Mom and Dad.

"The intact married family is the core strength of the United States, and public policy should encourage formation of such families. Social science clearly demonstrates that children do best when raised by their own mother and father who are committed to one another in a lifelong marriage, and that adults also thrive when in such a marriage. Sadly, only 45 percent of American children grow up in an intact family.

"Broken homes often result in such social ills as crime, a higher school dropout rate, and drug abuse, themselves leading to enormous costs for state, local and our federal governments. Cutting government spending is imperative, but policies that foster healthy families are even more important - and, interestingly, there is no question that intact families are the most economically productive.

"Unfortunately, many of the Administration's policies have undermined strong families by affirming sexual behavior that is unhealthy and destructive to individuals, families , the military, and society.

"Tonight President Obama appropriately paid tribute to the victims of the Tucson shooting. However, he did not mention the recent indictment of abortionist Kermit Gosnell in Philadelphia for the murder of a mother and seven live-born infants. The Philadelphia tragedy serves as a ghastly reminder of the moral toll abortion has taken on America's sense of justice. U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), in his official Republican response, deserves praise for reminding the President it is the role of the government 'to protect innocent life,' not to encourage the taking of it.

"The President's policies that promote abortion also undermine family formation. Abortion does this by contributing to infant mortality, victimizing women, and encouraging the abdication of responsibility by men. He is even opposed to commonsense parental notification laws. These laws reaffirm the unique role that a mother and father have in the life of a child.

"Regrettably, Mr. Obama's health care law allows our hard earned dollars to pay for abortion coverage. The American people should not be forced to pay for abortion, which is why it's necessary for this Congress to pass the 'No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act' and restore neutrality on government funding of abortion," concluded Perkins.

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National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force responds to
President Obama's State of the Union address

"If the president is truly serious about job creation and boosting America's economic well-being, he must provide leadership and action in helping to pass employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and ending the costly and unjust federal marriage ban."
     — Rea Carey, Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

WASHINGTON, Jan. 25 — The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force responded to President Obama's State of the Union speech tonight.

Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

"President Obama spoke pointedly tonight of the dire need to get our economy moving again. We couldn't agree more and urge his administration and Congress to work together to ensure that everybody — including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people — have the opportunity to contribute their talents, skills and expertise to this nation’s workforce. The repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ which the president noted tonight, was a tremendous victory that will put an end to systemic discrimination against competent, qualified lesbian, gay and bisexual service members. But let us not settle there. Fact is, the state of the union for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people remains largely one of inequality, as we can still be fired from or denied employment in many parts of the country for nothing other than bias, and marriage inequality relegates our families to second-class status. If the president is truly serious about job creation and boosting America's economic well-being, he must provide leadership and action in helping to pass employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and ending the costly and unjust federal marriage ban. Our country can and must do better. The president should pave the way."

More from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force is currently calling on the president and Congress to:
  • Stand firm in protecting the Affordable Care Act.

  • Pass employment protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, particularly in light of the nation’s current unemployment crisis.

  • Repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

  • Pass legislation such as the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act to grant benefits to the same-sex partners of federal employees.

  • Pass federal anti-bullying legislation such as the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Student Non-Discrimination Act.

  • Strengthen Social Security: no benefit cuts.

  • Pass comprehensive immigration reform legislation, including measures like the Uniting American Families Act and the DREAM Act.

  • Pass pay equity legislation such as the Paycheck Fairness Act and pass paid sick-leave legislation that supports working people.
To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, visit www.theTaskForce.org
and follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce.

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