In an age where Jimmy Carter is believed to be the worst president in American history, I believe Carter is now pulling for Barack Obama to take the title. Obama was the center of attention Tuesday night as he stood before a joint session of Congress to give the annual State of the Union address. The speech was more of the same, and I guess what surprised me the most, is that Obama kept at it. The rhetoric that pits one group of Americans against the other will NOT work, yet he continues to blame the other guy. Jimmy Carter had to be smiling.
Obama’s State of the Union address was filled with class warfare, contradictions, and a healthy dose of left wing “hope and change.” Yet the speech delivered nothing on how to actually fix the mess we are in. Obama’s theme was a “blueprint for an economy that’s built to last,” but the blueprint did not address our debt, our deficit, or empowering the private sector. It was babble at its highest.
Obama again played the “fair share” card. He has never and will never define what the “fair share” is, but according to him, the rich aren’t paying it. This was the part of the speech that irritated me the most. He brought up his favorite example — Warren Buffet — as a way to justify higher taxes:
Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else – like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we’re serious about paying down our debt, we can’t do both.
Hmmm…. where to start? First, the Bush tax cuts reduced rates for EVERY tax payer. Everyone saw a tax cut. They were not designed to be temporary for anyone. The ONLY reason they had an expiration date was because of typical Washington politics…. pass it now and deal with renewing it later. In addition, Obama KNOWS that the comparison between Warren Buffet and Buffet’s secretary is just plain wrong. But he continues the rhetoric. Buffet ALREADY paid taxes on his income when he was making a paycheck. You can bet it was at a higher rate than his secretary. He then used the remaining money (after taxes) to invest and make more money. What he makes from that is STILL taxed but at a lower rate. Obama compares that rate to the standard income tax rate. It’s an apples and oranges comparison that is designed for only one purpose: to make the middle class angry at the wealthy.
Obama’s “trade off” is also nonsensical. He makes it sound as if only the taxes on the wealthy were raised, then the government could afford to spend money on everything. Wrong! The wealthy could be taxed at 100%, and we would still be in the red. The federal government spends too much money. Period. Programs need to be cut, and spending needs to be reduced. But Obama (and most politicians) only know about rhetoric not solutions.
Obama also focused on his “clean energy” platform. In fact, he used the word “energy” twenty-three times in his speech. Yet, how can a president who says that America needs to be “in control of our own energy,” then put a halt on the Keystone pipeline? The pipeline would create an estimated 20,000 jobs and help the American economy. It’s because Obama detests the private sector. If there is something that can be done by the federal government, then he will stifle private sector growth, even if it costs tens of thousands of jobs.
There are scores of examples that can be pulled from Obama’s speech which show just how out of touch he is. I invite you to include some in your comments. The transcript can be found here.
While the American people suffer, Jimmy Carter certainly has a grin on his face. He know longer stands alone. Obama is right there with him as one of the worst, most divisive presidents in history. They are two of a kind. It’s like last night when I told my friend that Jimmy Carter wears a Barack Obama watch. He replied that Obama wears Jimmy Carter Underroos. Let’s hope Obama joins him as a one-term president.
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