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 21
st 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.
###
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
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.
###
[This, from Newt Gingrich, is PRE-SPEECH]
Tonight, as you watch the SOTU address, share your reactions with
me here on Facebook –Newt
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
-30-
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.