2003 State of the Union Address

What does George have to say about how the country is right now.

Well, it’s been a year since the last State of the Union address. It’s been quite a year for me personally, and for the country as a whole. What does President Bush have to say about it?

I’ll be commenting on this as he speaks.

###Preliminaries

Everyone is giving George a standing ovation. According to Coakie, this is for the office, not for George.

Lady’s and gentlemen… the President of the United States.

###Welcome

Things are changing… we have decisions to make as a country. We’re going to be ready for anybody that threatens us. I’m glad that got a universal standing ovation.

We’re going to deal with our problems now, not leave them for the future. Nice thought George.

###Recap

* Education: It’s interesting that he starts off the speech with education.
* Homeland Security
* Tax Relief
* Dealing with corporate fraud

###It’s the economy stupid

It’s good to hear George acknowledge the problems with the economy and vow to make an effort to fix the problem. It’s interesting that he thinks that a miniscule tax break for average people will fix the problem. It really has to be corporate.

And what about revenue?

* Get rid of the marriage penalty
* Child tax credit increase
* Small business tax breaks

###I hate partisan standing ovations… just sit down already!!!!

* Dividend tax elimination… yeah, it’s unfair, but it won’t help now.
* Deal with the deficit by growing the economy and increasing revenue, not by raising taxes… I like that.
* Federal spending shoulddn’t increase faster than the cost of live… YES!
* Partial privatization of social security… YES!!!
* Affordable health care… that got everyone standing. But HOW??? Certainly not with a centralized federal health care system.
* Federal subsidies for low income families to get health care.
* It’s timee to put the people back in charge of their own medical care. YES!
* Medicare needs a lot of help.
* I’m getting really sick of HEARING about a prescription drug programs… let’s get it done!!!
* Get rid of bad lawsuits… YES!!!! This is the whole problem and the main reason that costs are skyrocketing.

###Energy and the Environment

* conservation, clean energy… is it enough?
* Innovation is the key to environmental protection.
* We’re going to lead the way to hydrogen powered automobiles… $2 billion… YEAH. You gotta love that!
* This will lower our oil dependence. Wow, I just wonder if it’s as good as it sounds.

###Faith based initiative

* I don’t like this at all… it’s not the place of the federal government to fund work done by religious institutes.
* Mentors are good… he’s gonna fund mentorship programs.

###Drugs

* Drug addiction is bad… DUH!
* We’re going to start treating drug addiction as a medical problem… well, he got that right.

###Now, we go to abortion

* End partial birth abortion… I think that all reasonable people agree that this is horrifying and should stop. Will everyone stand up and be counted? Not likely.
* No human cloning

###Now we’re to it… the War on terrorism

* We’re going to invest in Afganistan and educate the children
* Support Israel
* Support Palestine… whatever.
* Let’s help aids victims in Africa… YES!!! Do we really have the will to do the right thing here? If we do, it’ll help our standing around the world.
* $15 billion for aids relief… WOW!!!!

###We’re winning the war on terrorism

* OK… but how?
* We’ve caught a bunch of Al Queda leaders
* 3000 suspected terrorists arrested
* many more have met another fate and are no longer a problem. YEAH! Go get ’em george!!!
* We’ve shut them down in many places around the world
* They’re learning the meaning of American Justice.
* Balistic Missile defense? Are we finally getting there?

###Free People will set the course of history

* Nice quote.
* Here comes the link to Iraq…
* We’ve kicked ass for the last hundred years against wanabes, and we’re gonna do it again. YEAH!

###America’s purpose is more than to follow a process, it’s to achieve a result

* The course of this nation does not depend on the decision of others
* The US supports the rights of Iranians to live free and choose their own government
* North Korea sucks
* America will not be blackmailed
* Saddam Hussein has never listened to the UN and disarmed.
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