So last night, during the state of the union, the POTUS (President of the United States) gave his state of the union as he is constitutionally mandated to do. I have watched many of these over the years and often left perplexed and felt the need to listen to the post Speech commentary so I could have a Republican tell me what I just heard, and then in response, a Democrat could tell me what the Republican said about the President. Of course, neither party ever truly agrees on what was just said and they feel the need to “dumb it down” for us less than intelligent viewers who just watched the freakin speech.
Then we have the news networks with their political experts who come on the airwaves and not only tell us what we just saw and heard, but they put their spin on things….and now I am really confused.
So let’s just put this all in order: The President gives his State of the Union. A Republican then explains what we just heard. Then a Democrat comes on to tell us not to listen to the Republicans. Then the news media dissects each and every word spoken by the President, they put their spin on it and then dissect the Republican and Democratic response. FOLKS, do we now understand why nothing gets done in Washington? I mean, really, is it necessary to have a political party response to what the President just said? And now, we have the Tea Party response to listen to. Oh MY God. So we not only have to sit through the agonizing pep rally speech, but we then have to endure political interpretation of what the President just said. That is a sad commentary on where we stand as a nation.
Speaking of Nation, we are a fractured Nation here in the United States. There is nothing United about these states anymore. The more heated these political debates become, the more divided we as a country become. I can’t help but remember how after 9/11, this country rallied together like many of us have never seen in our lifetime. Love him or not, George Bush had some terribly difficult decisions to make and his Presidency was truly overshadowed by 9/11. What amazed me about 9/11 was the united response by our elected leaders in Washington. It was heartwarming to see these men and women finally put their political differences aside and mourn those who were lost in that senseless terrorist act. We, as people of this country, put aside our differences. We all cried that fateful day. We all felt the pain of the attack. We all felt a sense of pride being chipped away. We all suffered a loss that day.
I often wonder what happened to that united front Congress displayed. I wonder, where did it go? Have the terrorists actually won? Is the infighting occurring in this country a direct result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks? Did the terrorists set out to do to our country exactly what is happening today? Think about it. We went from strong unification to a fractured country. Isn’t that a sign the terrorists have won?
Our brave men and women in the military may be fighting a war thousands of miles away, but the effects of that war are being felt right here. We are seeing political discourse at its worst. We are seeing a divided country. We see people at political rallies who are so angry they spew venom with their words. We see Tea Party Candidates making some very off the wall comments during the election process. We have seen pure anger and hatred.
People want to blame President Obama for all that ails America. People want to believe that President Obama is a Socialist who is trying to ruin this country. The airwaves are filled with hate and anger by the likes of Glen Beck, Sean Hannity, and Rush Limbaugh. None of these jerks cares about trying to unify this country. They only care about keeping this country divided and they seemingly hope for failure of the Obama administration….why? So they can claim the Republicans are better. Instead of trying to use the airwaves to try to calm the people of this country, people like Beck, Hannity, and Limbaugh want to keep this country fractured and disjointed. Do I think their speech lads to violence? Not really. I think people who commit violent acts are likely to carry out those acts regardless of what others say. What I do believe is these talking heads have a conduit to the public and they have a following. Instead of constantly trying to fill people’s heads with negative thoughts, maybe these guys like Beck, Hannity, and Limbaugh could use the airwaves to bring positive messages and try to unify this country.
Of course then we have Sarah Palin. I can actually see the draw she has. She is feisty. While I certainly don’t support her as a candidate, I would caution people to be very careful in dismissing her as a contender for the Presidency. Again, I won’t vote for her, but that is my right. At the same time, I don’t think she has been properly portrayed by the liberal media. Ok, so she made some goofs when running as McCain’s VP candidate. Yeah, it happens…but isn’t that what is somewhat endearing about her? She doesn’t have all the answers. She isn’t afraid to make a mistake…..doesn’t that make her just that much more human? I don’t know, but I think politician’s who make a mistake and then say…yeah, I made a mistake, are more endearing to people. My biggest problem with Palin is that I just think her affiliation with the Tea Party is what turns me off. I know she has to latch on to some party, but why not call it the “You Betcha Party” or the “Palin” Party”. See, Palin doesn’t strike me as the type to need party affiliation. I think she is the type that if she sees something she likes, she would vote for it and if she sees something she doesn’t like, she won’t vote for it. Why she has to attach to the Tea Party is beyond me….but that will hurt her candidacy more than anything. Other than that, I hope Sarah shakes things up during the next election.
I know, I digress…..so, back to the State of the Union. Bottom line folks, our country is in trouble. Not because of President Obama, not because the talking heads say Obama is ruining this country. No. This country is in trouble because when we were a united nation, we were truly strong and fearless. Today, we are fractured and live in fear every single day. Not in fear of terrorist attacks….no…much worse. We live in fear that our loved one will not be employed. We live in fear our loved on may not be insured. We fear our loved one may lose their home. We fear our loved one will go hungry. We fear our loved one will have no heat. We fear for ourselves and our future.
No matter where any of us stand on the issues, and no matter what political affiliation we may belong to, isn’t it time we put our differences aside and strive for one main objective? Don’t let the Glen Becks, Sean Hannity’s, and Rush Limbaugh’s of this world distract you. Don’t let the John Boehner’s of this world deliver angry speeches one day and then turn around and say he really didn’t mean it. Don’t let the liberal media dictate your though process. Begin to think for yourselves. Stop listening to these over paid, over glorified mouth pieces and start thinking for yourselves.
I don’t need a State of the Union address to tell me what is happening. I want to see action. Words are words until put into action. I don’t want to watch John Boehner sitting behind the President looking about as interested in the speech as a man is watching his wife shop. I don’t want to have the pep rally rah rah applause every 10 minutes…..I want action.
So, here is what I believe:
I believe all Americans should have equal access to health care. I believe that if a Senator or Congressman votes against the Health Care bill or votes to repeal it, those who vote for repeal should lose their government benefits immediately. Then they can understand what it is like to be uninsured.
I believe that tax cuts for businesses will stimulate the economy. I believe that tax cuts for the wealthy may provide an economic boost because let’s face it, I am certainly not wealthy, but if giving a rich person a tax cut will get them to spend more…by all means…do it.
Those are just a few of my beliefs. On the one hand, Liberal, on the other hand conservative. What I believe in the most though, is we have the best damn country in the world and I hate to see us as a fractured nation. We need to stand united, especially during difficult times, because if we don’t then the terrorists of 9/11 have won…..they have truly created the chaos they ought to create and we cannot let that happen as a country.
So, whether you agree with me or not, it doesn’t matter. It is how we can debate the issue that counts. J I’m just sayin………………………………………………
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