State of the Blame Game

Ok, I admit it, I haven't watched politics much in my life. I've never been so passionate about our economic future before becoming a FairTax volunteer & advocate in 2006. My opinions are based on what's happening NOW, not on how it compares to past administrations...

I started watching the State of the Union with a list of words I wanted to count from Obama's speech: "I", "mark my words/I repeat", "fight" and "jobs". Here's a fun drinking game, too! It didn't take but a few minutes for me to realize that those words were less important than the Bush-blaming rhetoric that soured the entire speech for me.

Rather than focus on the future, Obama took 13 noted chances to blame Bush. My favorite was (paraphrased): sure, I have created a $1 trillion deficit in one year, but I only doubled it from the last administration. I mean, come on!! Only doubled it in one year?? So Obama has a tax plan to pay off his trillion dollar debt but the carried over debt will be another problem. So instead of focusing on shoring up our balance sheet, he doubled our debt and plans to only fix the mess he created rather than the entire economy. Not so good on the leadership point for me.

I took notes throughout the speech that I'd like to share here:

• Bush blaming: only blaming the figure head. What about long-term incumbents who took part in the decision making? Notably Pelosi & Biden sitting behind the President
• Imposing "modest fees" on banks to shore up the loans. Obama says that the mess we're in now is the bank's fault. No where does he mention how Fannie Mae delved into the sub-prime market and fully backed these terrible loans which enticed the banks to do business that doesn't make sense. It can be traced back to government regulations in the Clinton Administration. But after a decade, who's keeping track?
• Obama imposed 25 different tax cuts; 95% of working families have tax cuts; parents, students & small business have tax cuts. WHAT??
• 2 million Americans are working because of tax cuts. WHAT??
• Rather than using the stimulus money to pay off the deficit, Obama will take the re-payment and filter it into community banks. Our tax dollars!! RE-PAY THE LOAN, Mr. President.
• Suggests a small business tax credit for: hiring or raising wages & a capital gains tax credit. Capital gains are attached to the profit made by selling property or stocks. Small business won't benefit from this idea.
• investing in "Infrastructure of Tomorrow": Sun Rail, Clean Energy Facilities, Rebates on Green Investments. Subsidies & tax breaks for non-sustaining industries are not job creators!!

"Amtrak loses $32 for every ticket it sells. So few people ride the line from New Orleans to Los Angeles that it manages to lose $462 per passenger.

The average subsidy per ride on all LA rails is $10.53, according to data from transportation consultant Tom Rubin. For someone who uses the rail to go back and forth to work every day, that adds up to a subsidy of $5,369 per year -- enough to lease that person a Toyota Prius for the year." from John Stossel's blog "The Rail Scam"

• the "Jobs Bill" from government that will create jobs? Is that before or after destroying private industry jobs?
• Obama says "I do not accept second place for the United States of America". Well, thanks for joining us! Is it first place or last that you're aiming for?
• Okay, so this one is great... is he lying or did he just change his mind?? We need "Safe-clean nuclear power!" "Off-shore oil & gas development!" Really? Yay!!
• Oh, wait, he follows that up with the need for "Energy & Climate Bill" and a "clean-energy economy"
• We must export more goods! Great idea! Well, in order to export more, we must be competitive on the world stage. This is where FairTax comes in - strip away the embedded taxes of our good and maybe we can actually compete! Payroll taxes, income taxes, investment taxes, minimum wage standards (not a FT issue, but important nonetheless). All these are built into the price of our goods.
• "The best anti-poverty program is a world class education" that only the government can give! Um... fail. Our government schools are a joke. More money does not equal a better education - we need to start thinking outside the box.
• "Education shouldn't depend on where a student lives." Then what about school vouchers? It allows the student to choose a school in their vicinity and requires teachers to compete for business.
• School debt to be forgiven!! What a novel idea. If you have chosen not to pay your debt off in 20 years, the government will pay it off! OR, if you decide to go into the public sector, you only need to wait 10 years before the tax-payers absorb your higher education costs. Does that mean I can go without making payments? What a deal!!
• Michelle Obama will tackle childhood obesity this year. Random remark but I'm glad to hear it. Obesity is a big drain on society and our healthcare system. We need to educate parents as well as children the benefits of eating well & exercising.
• I'll have to research this one: Obama says the CBO says that the deficit will be reduced by $1 trillion by instituting Obamacare. Huh? How? Must be that "created or destroyed" theory This CBO Analysis says it'll COST US $1 TRILLION.
• Specific steps to pay off $1 trillion debt incurred by Obama Administration:
• enact 3 year spending freeze in 2011 (after elections!)
• Eliminate programs
• Extend middle-class tax cuts
• Increase taxes on Oil Companies, Investment Fund Managers and people making more than $250,000 a year. There you go, let's tax energy producers, investments and small business owners! Shit doesn't roll down hill in the Obama world.
• create a bi-partisan fiscal commission... what about enacting the FairTax? That'll make half this speech irrelevant!
• Obama says "Let's try common sense" - a point he's been avoiding the entire year. History shows that government spending does not revive an economy.
• Obama says we must "Do our work openly" - well, then do it! What about C-SPAN?
• Obama makes a comment about the separation of powers and then SLAMS the Supreme Court on their decision to allow corporate advertisements during elections. Obama's okay with corporate spending as long as it's hidden. If it's out in the open, it's too transparent and the people may understand that the politicians have been bought!! Oh no!
• Obama then trashes the GOP for requiring a super-majority for votes. If they didn't require it, the GOP would lose every single vote by simple-majority because they have 1/3 less representation in the Senate right now.
• And a final Bush bashing remark: As a new decade stretches ahead of us... "We don't quit. I don't quit. Let's seize this moment to start anew. To carry this dream forward and to strengthen our union once more." Well, it's time you start working on saving our economy rather than creating a government dependence among our citizens.
• Earmark reform: rather than totally ban it as he suggested during campaigns, he'll create a website where all politicians voluntarily list the earmarks they've added to spending bills. Gee, thanks.

So, that's what stuck out to me! Let me know your thoughts.