When a President steps to the podium to sum up the state of the union, one might expect to hear about the two wars our country is currently involved in, or the increasing threat from Al-Qaeda members as they attempt to ignite bombs on our airplanes and what he or she plans to do about it. We received something much different. We heard a speech full of excuses, explaining why our country is in dire condition.  We must never forget that President George Bush dismantled our country so badly that no one could reverse it in just one year, not even Barack Obama.

            In one breath President Obama spoke of taxing large banks in order to repay tax payers for TARP, then in another he said he wanted to use TARP funds to create a stimulus for small business. I ask which one is it. The TARP mess is complicated, and yet very simple. The government decided on a fund to give loans to banks that were hurt by the housing crunch which was to be repaid with interest. Then they decided to do further tests on the banks to ensure they could withstand another financial meltdown and many banks were perceived as weak. In the wake of that finding our government now wants to force the banks to repay the money and financial stability was put on a back burner because they want to return the money to the tax payers. Somewhere in the middle of his speech he changed his mind and now wants to give TARP funds to small businesses. The really strange thing is that the money never came from tax payers. The money the government collects from taxpayers is short about one and a half trillion just to cover the bills and when they dream up a program like TARP, the money has to be borrowed. The President needs to try to repay, not the taxpayers, but those countries that loaned us the money.

            The President talked about a spending freeze. It seems like a step in the right direction, but would only save about 1% of the budget. I would like to see him cut spending on everything, but I do think we need to give him credit for trying. This will be the first time he made any motion to save money so let’s applaud him so he might continue and actually cut spending next time.

            Another highlight from the speech was when he encouraged the Senate to re-instate the pay as you go law. I know it seems foolish because he signed the inflated budget that we are suffering through now, but at least it would ensure some stability. He said if they didn’t, he would enact an executive order to do so which I think showed the first spark of leadership from President Obama. I haven’t seen anything from him in the past that showed he was prepared to stand in front and lead, but that was at least something. I respect him for that. On issues that he wanted to get through he would tell congress to get it done, healthcare, cap and trade, stimulus. I can’t believe he wants to get things done without ever having a plan first. I suppose with the Clinton healthcare proposal it became Clinton’s fault, this time it would be congress that had an inferior plan. I say put it out there and take the credit when it is good, and take the blame when it is bad.  Wouldn’t that show signs of a leader?

            I am really getting tired of hearing the plea for bipartisanship. It seems to me that if you have an idea that is good for the country then you will get votes from both sides of the isle, when you try to put together a healthcare plan that the people don’t want and is against the constitution then you won’t. Under the first year of President Obama there was a 60% majority in the senate and they couldn’t seem to get bills through. Sure it is convenient to blame the opposition for your failures, but it is merely the opposition in your own party that is holding you back. The last time there was a 60% majority in the senate was in 1979 under Jimmy Carter. Presidents since then seemed to pass legislation just fine. It is only when you go against the will of the people do you need to complain about bipartisan efforts.

            During his speech the President attacked the Supreme Court on a judgment they had made concerning campaign donations causing judge Alito break his statue- like pose and mouth the words not true. As it turns out, Justice Alito was right. You would think, since President Obama was a Constitutional Lawyer that he would hold utmost respects for the Supreme Court and their decisions, but it appears otherwise. Obama’s decision to call out and criticize the Supreme Court during his address to the people was unprecedented, and dare I say, un-presidential.

            In the end, the status of our country is hopeful which leads me to be anything but. I had expected something a little more concrete, but perhaps next year we can aspire to enlightened, or promising. In this era of hope and change what more could we have expected. Perhaps we can all “hope” the state of our union next year will be more resolute.

             The excitement and enthusiasm that came with the election of Scott Brown is understandable and well deserved, but it seems to be going overboard. There is no doubt that his election will cause a major change in the way the Democratic Party would conduct business in the near future, but that is about it. Those who have suggested that he should run for president clearly have short memories. Scott Brown is about to begin his first term in the U. S. Senate and, like President Obama, has done nothing to indicate he is prepared for such an office. I would like to ask everyone to take his Election at face value and not stretch his immediate potential.

          On the other hand, there are definite signs that his election has brought on an array of unexpected occurrences. We now have Congress talking about taking 4 to 6 weeks off the healthcare push and there are even some democrats asking to extend the Bush tax cuts to help growth in the private sector. In the mean time others are busy arguing with themselves about what just happened and whose fault it was.
 
            I don’t want to take anything away from Senator-Elect Brown, because he represents a major change for Massachusetts and I too was excited to hear of his election, but what do we know about his stance on America’s issues? His primary campaign promise was to be the 41st vote against the healthcare bill in its current form, but we have to acknowledge that he comes from a state that has its own government run healthcare. I think it is safe to say he is a proponent for other states to adopt a similar system, as much as I enjoy the system we have now and wouldn’t want to see it change, we are extremely fortunate that he apparently has some reverence for the U. S. Constitution and that he recognizes the difference between state run healthcare and the federal government doing the same thing.

          We will all have to sit back and see exactly what Scott Brown will bring to the table and help him preserve the liberties we have enjoyed so much in this country. I propose we give him time to perform some duties as a Senator and put an end to the talk of him running for higher office.

          2010 is upon us and in my infinite optimism I can’t help but think things are going to get better. I am optimistic that in the upcoming election, politicians will become more focused on spending only what they have and begin eliminating the debt we have accumulated, while holding the American people to the same standard. I am optimistic that the American people will hold our government to the limits of the Constitution while remembering why it was written in the first place. And finally I am optimistic that our nation’s leaders will begin to recognize that there is a group of people who wish to kill us because of our beliefs and values and that they will make an effort to actually call their attacks, terrorist attacks, rather than “Man caused disasters.”

          I must admit, I have already witnessed the beginning of change in our Nation’s leadership. I can remember when our President said “Only government can provide the short-term boost necessary to lift us from a recession this deep and severe.” but now he is saying, “Ultimately true economic recovery is only going to come from the private sector.” These are two very different statements and I tend to welcome this kind of change. Not long ago President Obama said “Deficits don’t matter, saying “we can’t worry, short-term, about the deficit.” but now he says “The federal government can no longer spend taxpayers’ money like it is “monopoly money.” I absolutely agree with our President and with his new way of thinking I do believe the rest of his term in office will prove to be a success. All along I have wanted less government control and for them to spend within their means. It was only early on when his ideology drastically differed from my own that I took disagreement with him, but now that his whole theory has changed I will look forward to seeing this trend continue. I still “Hope” that he will “Change” his attitude toward the terrorists attacking this country, stop calling the attack on Christmas day an incident and replace his director of Homeland Security who seemed to think the system worked fine because a terrorist’s detonator didn’t function properly. I know these changes will come in 2010 and look forward to the other changes that are sure to come soon.

          Happy New Year Everyone!