State of the Union (Page 3)

crowny2 - 2013-02-12 12:54 PM

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ETA: deleted my own response for ad hominem attack.

 

Jackemy1 - 2013-02-12 1:02 PM

To get back to the OP. 

Here's a SOTU that I would hope....but unfortunately will not hear;

Below is excerpts from David Walker's article. David Walker was the former US Comptroller so I think he knows a bit about the state of the federal government affairs.

 For example, the U.S. government’s total liabilities and unfunded promises have skyrocketed from $20.4 trillion in 2000 to about $71.3 trillion today. This amount is growing by about $350 billion a month absent action.

 

To put it bluntly, the federal government has grown too big, promised too much, and lost control of the budget. The U.S. government is almost 12 times bigger as a percentage of the economy than 100 years ago, and the annual appropriations process only controls about 33 percent of spending versus 97 percent in 1912. So-called mandatory spending will only increase in the future unless we tackle the three primary drivers of our nation’s structural deficits—known demographic trends, rising health care costs and an outdated tax system. Failure to address these will have a serious adverse impact on many areas that Americans care about, such as national defense, homeland security, education, energy, infrastructure and the environment.

http://keepingamericagreat.org/state-of-the-union-is-mixed/

 

 

scoobysdad - 2013-02-12 1:13 PM Totally agree. This is what a State of the Union Address should be about, because currently the Union isn't in a good state when it comes to the sustainability of its fiscal path. The fact is, there is no future for the Union on its current path, so all the other issues that will be addressed really don't matter that much unless and until this one is addressed. But ideas for reigning in spending and raising taxes on all Americans (not just the evil rich) don't usually bring the audience to its feet, does it?

crowny2 - 2013-02-12 10:36 AM

Evidence?

mr2tony - 2013-02-12 12:18 PM So, a president promotes his agenda in the state of the union address? And this shocks you guys? Here, let me give you the rundown of how this is going to go: `Mister Speaker, the President of the United States!' (STANDING OVATION) `My fellow Americans ...' (STANDING OVATION!) `I am here tonight ...' (STANDING OVATION) and so on and so forth. And then the president will lay out his agenda for the next year, or four years, talk about what a great job he's done since 2008 and the challenges he faces from his enemies, foreign and domestic, praise the troops, say how sad it is that people are dying on the streets and in schools, say how he's going to make the country a better place and tell you why what you think matters. In between, there will be lots of STANDING OVATIONS!

Jackemy1 - 2013-02-12 1:02 PM

To get back to the OP. 

Here's a SOTU that I would hope....but unfortunately will not hear;

Below is excerpts from David Walker's article. David Walker was the former US Comptroller so I think he knows a bit about the state of the federal government affairs.

 For example, the U.S. government’s total liabilities and unfunded promises have skyrocketed from $20.4 trillion in 2000 to about $71.3 trillion today. This amount is growing by about $350 billion a month absent action.

 

To put it bluntly, the federal government has grown too big, promised too much, and lost control of the budget. The U.S. government is almost 12 times bigger as a percentage of the economy than 100 years ago, and the annual appropriations process only controls about 33 percent of spending versus 97 percent in 1912. So-called mandatory spending will only increase in the future unless we tackle the three primary drivers of our nation’s structural deficits—known demographic trends, rising health care costs and an outdated tax system. Failure to address these will have a serious adverse impact on many areas that Americans care about, such as national defense, homeland security, education, energy, infrastructure and the environment.

http://keepingamericagreat.org/state-of-the-union-is-mixed/

 

 

GomesBolt - 2013-02-12 12:27 PM

Am I the only one hoping for a completely outrageous speech by Obama so we can get back to the Political threads here on BT? 

Part of what I liked about Ben Carson's speech (other thread) is that he mentions how it's important to be respectful, but it's also important to disagree with one another for a democracy to work. 

I find the BT political dialog much more civil and interesting than the stuff that happens on the news channels or the stuff that happens on comment boards below an article. 

Go Obama! Rattle off some Liberal Manifesto so we can talk about it tomorrow!!!

JoshR - 2013-02-12 1:56 PM

 

You're the poopoo head.

GomesBolt - 2013-02-12 12:59 PM

Go back to tickling babies and plotting out your plan to buy an acre and a half to farm enough corn to make the world's largest corn dog...

 

JoshR - 2013-02-12 2:12 PM

(Nodding, nodding, nodding) ...Corn dog? Them's fighting words.

GomesBolt - 2013-02-12 1:14 PM

Better?

tuwood - 2013-02-12 2:19 PM I got $10 that says Obama uses a Teleprompter.  Any takers?

tuwood - 2013-02-12 2:19 PM

I got $10 that says Obama uses a Teleprompter.  Any takers?

GomesBolt - 2013-02-12 1:35 PM

Yeah, because no president before him ever used a teleprompter...

...while shooting a layup...

 

GomesBolt - 2013-02-12 12:09 PM

It's worse actually.  Joe Wilson's outburst was not during a State of the Union speech.  It was during time the President asked to speak to the joint session of congress about health care.

The SOTU is supposed to be a commentary on the State of the Union.  Not a chance to have a one-sided attack on the other branches of the government.  That's why it made news.  I think Obama's calling out the SC during the SOTU was worse than Joe Wilson yelling back because the implication is that while he's speaking, you can't question him.  Where is that in the constitution?

It has never happened before that a President has called-out the Supreme Court during a State of the Union.  Show me where it has happened?  

 

kevin_trapp - 2013-02-12 3:21 PM

Reagan called out Congress in '88.  He berated them for about 5 minutes over their inability to put bills on his desk, balance the budget, and for filling their bills with pork and legal rhetoric. Don't get me wrong, they deserved it.  But it was definitely a one-sided attack on a separate branch of the government.  For some strange reason, he got multiple standing ovations by Congress for telling Congress that they've failed to do their job.  

GomesBolt - 2013-02-12 3:32 PM

Well in that case, the parallel would be if Obama chided the SCOTUS for not deciding cases at all, or if Reagan chided the Congress for sending him bad bills.

TriRSquared - 2013-02-12 5:24 PM

Me watching the SOTU tonight..