liveonearth (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
liveonearth) wrote2008-01-28 06:10 pm
liveonearth) wrote2008-01-28 06:10 pm
Entry tags:
State of the Union Address
I get this foul taste in my mouth whenever President Bush comes on the radio, and often turn it off. But for now I have him tuned in, listening to his speech. The pomp and ceremony, the applause and hurrahs, bother me because I believe this congress should be impreaching this man and our vice president as well. But instead they keep up the appearance of approval. It seems that we could sustain the honor of our government better by removing the devils, instead of continuing to pump them up. The world sees that they are full of hot air.
Shrub is talking now about our economic future, and he says we can be confident in our economic growth in the long term, but we have troubles in the short term. He speaks of the housing markets. He proposes permanent tax relief for individuals and families and revisions to help people avoid foreclosure. All tax raises will be vetoed, he says. How will he pay for his relief package? He doesn't say. (on NPR the next morning I heard that it is expected to increase our national debt by over 100 million dollars).
He also doesn't mention that over 1/2 of our current tax dollars go to support our war machine. Well over half. If we were to stop kicking ass around the world, we'd have more than enough money to provide every single person with adequate basic healthcare. He wants to make healthcare "more affordable" by "expanding consumer choice, not government control". Republicans only, cheering.
"Snuck". He uses such words.
He brags on NCLB, No Child Left Behind. He speaks of education in terms of "increasing accountability". He calls NCLB a "bipartisan achievement" when it appears to me that it is a disaster. Our children are less educated than ever, and the higher test scores that he speaks of do not indicate the reality. This disconnect is common when I hear him speak. $300 million on new Pell grants is a good idea, though. How are we going to pay for that?
What is "false populism"? I heard the words come from his mouth. He's talking about spreading Democracy through trade.
Emissions free "nucular power" is a good idea.
Buy, selling, patenting or cloning human life---he doesn't like that.
In the name of equal treatment of faith based orgs he wants us to extend "charitable choice". I don't know what this is but I'm sure I'm against it. Unless my own faith based org can get some dough.
"Entitlement spending": he means social security, medicare and medicaid---lead to tax increases, deficits and program cuts? Yeah RIGHT. What about those wars?????
Immigration -- securing borders -- wants to increase worksite enforcement, more fences, already ended catch & release policy, double border patrol agents, we "must create lawful way for foreign workers to come here and support our economy." Must find sensible and humane way to deal with illegals that upholds our laws and our ideals. I like the word humane. One point for the shrub.
Confronting enemies abroad and advancing liberty .... whatever .... freedom and peace .... stirring moments .... free and fair elections.... independence.... etc etc etc bullshit hiding the fact that we are an Imperialist Nation. War on terror, Afganistan..... Iraq..... terrorists and extremists deny people liberty.... my view on this war is so opposite from the one that he promotes...... I feel sorry for the people who are fighting in Iraq, gratitude maybe but pity and sorrow more. I wish that they could be given a more useful outlet for their desire to serve. Our armed services are being used hard and put away wet to make some corporations richer, not for the grand causes of liberty freedom and peace. It's a sad sick state of the union. Shrub brags of his surge. He said deaths and many bad things "are down". I say, what about our deficit? It is down? What about the number of US soldiers who can't sleep at night after they get home? Is that number down? What about the military folks who've lost limbs or eyes or spleens? Are there less of them? I think not. What about the number of Iraqi dead? That number is higher than anyone wants to know...
"Funding our troops" as a euphemism for funding Shrub's wars...... pressure on congress to fund....
Good thing Al Quaida is still out there to be afraid of.
"a safer America"
"America opposes genocide in Sudan"
I can't stand it anymore. Turning him off now. AAAAaaaargh. THIS is our president?
Shrub is talking now about our economic future, and he says we can be confident in our economic growth in the long term, but we have troubles in the short term. He speaks of the housing markets. He proposes permanent tax relief for individuals and families and revisions to help people avoid foreclosure. All tax raises will be vetoed, he says. How will he pay for his relief package? He doesn't say. (on NPR the next morning I heard that it is expected to increase our national debt by over 100 million dollars).
He also doesn't mention that over 1/2 of our current tax dollars go to support our war machine. Well over half. If we were to stop kicking ass around the world, we'd have more than enough money to provide every single person with adequate basic healthcare. He wants to make healthcare "more affordable" by "expanding consumer choice, not government control". Republicans only, cheering.
"Snuck". He uses such words.
He brags on NCLB, No Child Left Behind. He speaks of education in terms of "increasing accountability". He calls NCLB a "bipartisan achievement" when it appears to me that it is a disaster. Our children are less educated than ever, and the higher test scores that he speaks of do not indicate the reality. This disconnect is common when I hear him speak. $300 million on new Pell grants is a good idea, though. How are we going to pay for that?
What is "false populism"? I heard the words come from his mouth. He's talking about spreading Democracy through trade.
Emissions free "nucular power" is a good idea.
Buy, selling, patenting or cloning human life---he doesn't like that.
In the name of equal treatment of faith based orgs he wants us to extend "charitable choice". I don't know what this is but I'm sure I'm against it. Unless my own faith based org can get some dough.
"Entitlement spending": he means social security, medicare and medicaid---lead to tax increases, deficits and program cuts? Yeah RIGHT. What about those wars?????
Immigration -- securing borders -- wants to increase worksite enforcement, more fences, already ended catch & release policy, double border patrol agents, we "must create lawful way for foreign workers to come here and support our economy." Must find sensible and humane way to deal with illegals that upholds our laws and our ideals. I like the word humane. One point for the shrub.
Confronting enemies abroad and advancing liberty .... whatever .... freedom and peace .... stirring moments .... free and fair elections.... independence.... etc etc etc bullshit hiding the fact that we are an Imperialist Nation. War on terror, Afganistan..... Iraq..... terrorists and extremists deny people liberty.... my view on this war is so opposite from the one that he promotes...... I feel sorry for the people who are fighting in Iraq, gratitude maybe but pity and sorrow more. I wish that they could be given a more useful outlet for their desire to serve. Our armed services are being used hard and put away wet to make some corporations richer, not for the grand causes of liberty freedom and peace. It's a sad sick state of the union. Shrub brags of his surge. He said deaths and many bad things "are down". I say, what about our deficit? It is down? What about the number of US soldiers who can't sleep at night after they get home? Is that number down? What about the military folks who've lost limbs or eyes or spleens? Are there less of them? I think not. What about the number of Iraqi dead? That number is higher than anyone wants to know...
"Funding our troops" as a euphemism for funding Shrub's wars...... pressure on congress to fund....
Good thing Al Quaida is still out there to be afraid of.
"a safer America"
"America opposes genocide in Sudan"
I can't stand it anymore. Turning him off now. AAAAaaaargh. THIS is our president?
no subject
I saw a bumper sticker the other day (out in the farm country of Davis, not SF) that said 'global warming is a lie'. I laughed and laughed, but it's a scary thing.
no subject
no subject
hey, when you ever get back to being able to read books for fun, not just for school, try the Song of the Dodo by David Quammen. Good reading about speciation, extinction, evolution and biogeography. Excellent read!!!
no subject
I'm OK with it. It meaning our species hell-bent race toward the big mass grave. There's no stopping us now. It's just a matter of enjoying life while we can. I feel sorriest for folks who have kids. It has got to be a guilty condition.