2012 State of The Union

The 2012 State of The Union was important to both America's future and President Obama's reelection. Every time President Obama speaks, people are intrigued by the confidence displayed by his extraordinary public speaking skills. Although I'd consider myself a conservative, Obama's speeches put me on board with his campaign. His speeches tricked me into thinking he would be a hero to this country. His speeches sound so good, so why is our country still struggling? My theories were confirmed while watching Tuesday's State of The Union. 

My friend once told me, "Barack sounds great when he talks, but closely listen to his words. Then tell me what he actually said." When doing so, I've realized he says so much, but doesn't say anything at all. In other words, his statements don't have much behind it. This was mostly what I got out of the State of The Union. For example, it's evident that we have a crisis of work in this country and President Obama proposed nothing in policy changes that will get us to boost the economy or economic growth. Instead, he acted more as a cheerleader to tell everybody to trust in the country and get behind each other. It sounds good, but it doesn't provide any framework for the country going forward. 

Expanding on the economy, Obama stated that a shrinking number of people do real well and more people struggle to get by. He brought to our attention the severity of income inequality and his aspiration to keep the high taxes on the rich. If not, it either adds to the deficit or someone else has to make up for it. Well President Obama, your spending is the reason our debt is so high. Barack is so caught up on income through taxes, when cutting spending seems to be the logical solution. His big government being paid for with higher taxes hasn't worked, and won't work if spending isn't cut. Bigger government and higher taxes will not lead to jobs and growth. Bigger government and higher taxes will instead lead to more people on food stamps and people relying on the government.

The most bold proposal made by Obama was cracking down on insider trading within government. To be honest, this completely shocked me and came out of no where. It seems like a common sense reform and will help restore faith in American government. 

The strongest point, and statement I most agreed with, was dealt with the service of troops. It doesn't matter whether your rich or poor, gay or straight, you look out for the person next to you. You rise and fall as one unit. This was inspirational and completely true. I've always agreed that no matter who you are, if you're willing to put your life on the line for my freedom I respect you. 

The part of Barack's speech he did back up with a plan was during his discussion of bringing home overseas business. Lowering tax rates for companies that stay in America, making companies pay taxes for overseas profits, and providing financial help will all help keep companies in America. It's a reward and punishment system that seemed flawless when he outlined it. 

The part that appealed most to me was his speech on education. Sometimes I worry if my college tuition debt will hang over my head long into my lifetime. It stresses me out, and pressures me to get a high paying job since Sacred Heart is so expensive. I loved how President Obama called out colleges on the rising costs of tuition. But once again, there was no plan behind it in place to take steps for controlling tuition. Therefore, I don't expect anything to get done here. On another note, I do hope he follows through with his proposal that every state requires students to say in school until 18 or graduate. 

Overall, I didn't walk away feeling like I knew enough details of America's future. As I mentioned earlier, Barack once again failed to lay down plans behind his talk. However, it's essential for him to follow through on this State of the Union if he expects to get reelected in November.