Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Bush's S.O.T.U. Address
About a week ago was President Bush's 5th State of the Union Address, highly anticipated by people like me. Overall I felt his delivery was really strong and outlined some very important issues. His most important statements, in my opinion-
"I will send you a budget that holds the growth of discretionary spending below inflation, makes tax relief permanent, and stays on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009. My budget substantially reduces or eliminates more than 150 government programs that are not getting results, or duplicate current efforts, or do not fulfill essential priorities."
I was excited to hear this, and hopefully Congress will be able to follow this budget, as the national deficit is at an all-time high. And wasteful government programs are just, well, a waste, and who doesn't want permanant tax relief?
"Small business is the path of advancement, especially for women and minorities, so we must free small businesses from needless regulation and protect honest job-creators from junk lawsuits. Justice is distorted, and our economy is held back, by irresponsible class actions and frivolous asbestos claims — and I urge Congress to pass legal reforms this year."
Since my mother is a small business owner, this was important to me. Also, tort reform is, I feel, one of our most important domestic issues.
"Year after year, Americans are burdened by an archaic, incoherent federal tax code. I have appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to give this Nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all."
Tax code- what can I say besides the current isn't working very well. I'm personally hoping that the "fair to all" will mean a flat tax.
"It is time for an immigration policy that permits temporary guest workers to fill jobs Americans will not take, that rejects amnesty, that tells us who is entering and leaving our country, and that closes the border to drug dealers and terrorists."
Sounds good- but there's no way of knowing if it will work, and I'm curious as to how they plan to enforce it. I've given additional thought to this issue in the last few months or so- before, I was hard-core dead-set against anything close to illegal immigration, including non-citizens working. But after doing more reading on the subject, I've kind of been re-examining my thoughts on this. Not to say that I think it's okay for people to come and go throughout the country as they please. But I've realized that people who are coming over here illegally to work are, for the most part, just trying to make a better life for themselves and their families, and who am I to criticize that? So it's still kind of a sticky subject, and Bush's plan sounds good in theory, but unfortunately I don't think it will work as easily as he's making it sound.
"Thirteen years from now, in 2018, Social Security will be paying out more than it takes in. And every year afterward will bring a new shortfall, bigger than the year before. For example, in the year 2027, the government will somehow have to come up with an extra 200 billion dollars to keep the system afloat — and by 2033, the annual shortfall would be more than 300 billion dollars. By the year 2042, the entire system would be exhausted and bankrupt. If steps are not taken to avert that outcome, the only solutions would be dramatically higher taxes, massive new borrowing, or sudden and severe cuts in Social Security benefits or other government programs.
This is something else that I didn't really give much thought to until fairly recently. To me, Social Security had never been very important because, quite frankly, it didn't concern me. But after coming to realize the problems and that our Social Security system is in jeopardy, I think that allowing for privatization and giving people the option to withhold Social Security is the best road to recovery.
"Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage."
This one is pretty self-explanatory. While I support state's rights and feel that most things should be of the individual states to decide, because of the emotions and complications involved in this one- Federal Marriage Act, etc.- I feel that this one needs to be the same throughout the country, and this is the only way to ensure that.
"Medical research can help us reach that goal, by developing treatments and cures that save lives and help people overcome disabilities — and I thank Congress for doubling the funding of the National Institutes of Health. To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought or sold as a commodity."
I agree 100% on this issue. Today I read in the newspaper that the same scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep has some sort of license that allows him to clone human embreyos, and this frightens me.
"We will not set an artificial timetable for leaving Iraq, because that would embolden the terrorists and make them believe they can wait us out. We are in Iraq to achieve a result: A country that is democratic, representative of all its people, at peace with its neighbors, and able to defend itself. And when that result is achieved, our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they have earned."
January 31, 2005, showed us that we don't need a timetable for Iraq in order for things to happen.
Finally, the highlight of the evening- but it was nothing Bush said, it was the emotional embrace between the marine's mother and the Iraqi woman who voted in the Sunday election, along with the exchange of the dog tags. This, along, with the numerous people who had painted their fingers purple in support of Iraq, was an image that will not soon be forgotten.
bravenet.com