I watched the State of the Union last night - not live - but in repeat.

Last night's speech was a campaign speech more than a report on the State of the United States of America. I wanted to hear how Obama thinks we are faring. I heard rah rah for voting for Obama.

The cameras repeatedly showing Warren Buffet's secretary was pure snake oil salesmanship (with apologies to any and all snake oil salesmen). While Mr. Buffet may have a lesser overall percentage in comparison to gross income than his secretary, I have a hard time believing he pays less taxes.

Free Enterprise would be a nice thing in our economy. However, that being said, true Free Enterprise would require the repealing of a ga-zillion regulations. I read an interesting statidtic some months ago concerning regulation. It compared the length of several well known items such as the Lord's Prayer, the Gettysburg Address, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independance (1,337 words) with the regulations concerning growing cabbage for sale (in excess of 27.000 words). The government regulations crush small business.

I have not magic wand. I do believe we need to bring manufacturing back into this country as well as trade education. I do believe we need to engage in equitable trade with foriegn countries. I cannot fault the business which decides to get the most bang for a buck and manufacture overseas.

Finally, I believe that while the push for alternative energy is a good trend, I firmly believe we need to develop our own oil resources as well as the capacity to refine all the oil we could put into the pipeline.

I have no idea or whom I will vote (I am tired of the lesser of two evils) but I can guarantee you that I do not want Obama to serve a second term. I feel our last two presidents have put a for sale sign on our country and it is time to take it back from politicians who have no idea what it is like to live on a budget, illegal immigrants who flaunt our laws and trade "partners" who undercut our prices.

It is a shame that our country is so divided. Why should their have to be democratics or republicans. We are a people, and we should vote on a president that is able to bring us out of the disaster that we are in. I don't put the blame on Obama, he tried. There were some things that he accomplished, but not all of the things that needed to be done. Let's just vote on the most qualified person, no matter the race, creed, color, religion or political identification. We are making our days shorter upon this earth, because it is indicated in the bible that when there is so much chaos that we cannot recognize summer and winter (when have you ever known of a tornado in January as was 01/2012), when there is conflict within our own governments (republicans and democratics), and diseases in this world that a doctor cannot cure (aids and others), "I am coming back." So I ask that we please make peace within ourselves, appreciate whatever has already been done, select a president that you feel can accomplish the mission, and pray.

From The U.S. Constitution it is clear what a State of the Union address by a President should be. I cannot find anywhere that allows campaigning, lying, or blaming others anywhere. It also does not give the rules for complaining or stating personal agendas. I only heard commands from Obama, starting with the “I”, but he must remember, he can only recommend…what were his recommendations anyways? I guess I forgot already.

Section 3 - State of the Union, Convening Congress
He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

James Lee – No need to apologize for a few typos! It’s the real American way though, find what is wrong, fix it and move on!

My only disagreement with your comments is that Cuba is too close. When we talk of people like John Jost and the like, we need to include Obama, his czars and move the whole caboodle! In fact we should just donate “share” Air Force One, the motorcade, and John Jost, and then ship them off to a place like Iran, not Cuba!! That way they can all go inside each others’ tents and verify that they all have the same amount of marbles and no one has more than the other – LOL!

What I heard from Oboma, in the state of the union address was ..."I need more time to put this fire out that the Republicans started, so keep me in for four more years, and I will put the fire out, by dousing it with gasoline that you evil, corporate job creators can pay for."...Jon JOst, their is a country that you described. It's called "Cuba". I suggest you do our country a favor and move their with all your simple, like minded friends..

When I sit down to listen to a speech titled “The State of the Union”, I expect to hear what the state of the union is. I expect to hear measurement of progress against goals and promises made. Perhaps two columns, the left column would list promises and goals, the right column lists what has been achieved thus far.

Obama cannot do this. He has failed miserably on everything. He cannot possibly list a single thing that “the people” wanted or expected thus far. He is the worst president this country has ever experienced, the greatest threat to our national security, and is destined to bring us to our knees for his fellow Muslims throughout the world. He is the greatest terrorist this country has ever had to deal with next to Bin Laden, but he sits in our national treasure – the White House.

The speech he gave was nothing but empty phrases, lies, and full of “I” this and “I” that. His dream is not one of an American, but of a wanna be American on his terms and his terms only, and for all his cronies throughout the USA and world. The kick-off to his campaign.

I thought this country had more intelligent people than not, but it is quite apparent that too many Americans have drank the Kool-Aid, and lost their minds. He was in our state of Arizona yesterday, taking credit for an Intel Plant that has been under constant expansion for many years prior to him taking office. That plant has been planned since the mid-90’s when I worked for the power company. It is nothing new, in fact just the final phase of a bigger picture that was under development when Obama was marching around Chicago asking for government hand-outs.

He disgraced himself and his position for the rude and disrespect of our Governor yesterday, who by the way has more gonads than he will ever have. He is thin skinned, a child of no temperament, and a disgrace to this nation. If he was going to bow and kiss anyone with strength and willpower, it should be Governor Brewer, rather than a king of a nation that has done nothing but kill our economy via oil gouging.

He is a fake, deserves no time, and I know we will be better off if anyone but Obama holds the White House after the November election. I hope America will gain from this historical lesson of what a total freeloader, socialist, and wanna be dictator can do to a great nation in just 4 years.

Get out and vote, and vote to get him out!

I agree a lot with Obama. Should we go backwards instead of forward? has everyone forgotten what happened when the banks and oil companies were deregulated? Yes we are in a recession. Do you expect us to get out of the recession overnight? look at how many years it took us to get out of a recession in the 1930's. Has everyone forgotten how we got into this mess in the first place? Has everyone forgotten who caused the recession and how? I read the comments and I hear people talking. I do not understand why any of you want to go back to the same policies that got us into this mess. Has everyone forgotten who got us into two wars, one of which was not necessary? Have everyone forgotten how if anyone criticized the then President Busch, you were fired from your job or banned from the radio? Obama came into office with a lot on his plate. He came in where we have two wars, a recession, and almost all of our allies who were upset with the United States.
Do you really want to go back to that? Obama has been working hard to overturn all of this. He is working in a Congress that is fighting him tooth and nail, who is not interested in the American welfare but in making Obama a one term President. It is true, I do not agree with all of Obama's policies but it is better than all of the other polices being proposed where we would go backwards instead of forward and where our recession would only get worse. Do all of you want the big coorporations to still rule America? It is your choice but look back into history and see which policies worked and which one failed.

Obamacare invites socialistic rule. Give the government rule over healthcare, and they decide who gets health care, who doesn't, or how long it takes for an individual to get the care they need. They could die. It could be like signing a death certificate for the elderly, problem pregnancies (the babies-but he doesn't care anyway, he supports anything to do with allowing abortion to continue), those with cancer, and other dibilitatating or terminal diseases. Who gives him the right to play God?
He is saying anything he has to say to get people's votes. He tells of all the "good" he will do by initiating programs, but he doesn't say how he will do it. Get businesses back here... oh, yes, he did say, he'd help those businesses here before he'd help those who relocated overseas, didn't he...in a roundabout way? Why hasn't he tried to do this before the election.? I will believe he is out to build up America-instead of destroy it-when I see it.
I was surprised to see the American Flag behind him instead of curtains with Moslem symbols. Don't get me wrong. I don't consider myself prejudicial to the degree that it permanently controls how I think of different races. Because of my upbringing, I struggle and fight against being prejudicial. Prejudice will not stop until the generations before stop teaching their children to be prejudicial. (It is obvious, I am nor sure about how to spell prejudice...LOL) It is not born into a human being. Prejudice is taught, and will continue to be taught as long as the previous generation teaches it. There are Muslims who do not support the radical agenda of terrorists. Many Muslims get a bad rap because of those few who do support and carry out this agenda. Our president was in office when Ben Laden (I believe that is who it was) was killed. However, did this not begin under the Bush Administration and then carried out under President Obama?
If I got off the president's speech, please forgive me.

We do not need another four years of a President who bows to those who would destroy us. We do not need another four years of leaders saying one thing and doing another. I am all for Republicans, Democrats, and Independants working together to make this nation strong again, but I don't feel like the American people's voices were or are heard and/or listened to like our leaders would like for us to think they were or are being listened to. . Besides, our nation will never be as strong as it once was because the saying "In God We Trust" does not apply as nearly as much as it did at one time. Our strength has been in God Almighty, and now we want to say we can do without him. I don't think so..I know we can't do without HIm and still survive.
If Obama wanted something, he would get it, even if it took getting it behind closed doors. Whose to say this will not happen again. We really do not need this. It has clearly not been four years of a nation ruled "For the people or by the people".

I 'm 57. I was in the work force for 32 years. In 2004 I applied for disability. I finally was approved in 2007. I've been struggling ever since on my SSI. I waited 6 years on Housing Authorities list for a Housing Choice Voucher (old Section 8). I finally got it and found a place to live. Things are so bad in the country that agencies such as: Community Action, Catholic Social Services and you name it, can only help the homeless with security deposits and furniture and probably other stuff. Now I have a place to live and nothing to put in it except my clothes. I can't even afford used furnishings. I know there are a lot of people out there who just soak up everything there is from Welfare and Housing that are doing it fraudulently. Plus, I'm not prejudice, but when I go to the Welfare office not a blessed person in there speaks English. I believe something has to be done about foreigners and illegal immigrants. They are getting a lot of benefits that US Citizens need and can't get. I love it when says I can't get help because I make too much money......You trying living on $1500/month and paying rent, utilities, medicare & medicare supplement premiums, co-pays, car insurance, food, gas, and other personal necessities. I was forced to take my pittance of a pension from all those years, but everything I received was penalty taxed and I needed that money so I wouldn't have a foreclosure on my credit report, but that was all in vane because I had lost everything before I received my SSI. I am scared out of my mind that if things continue the way they are Medicare, Housing benefits and Welfare won't exist and I'll be one of the homeless. And lastly, I need Medicare Supplemental and Part D insurance because of all my medical conditions, but the rising costs of premiums and co-pays are outrageous. My medicare supplement went up $25/month for 2012 and my Part D is $26/month. Things are so bad, even food banks don't have the resources that they used to. I'm really scared and I don't know what to do about and I don't have anywhere to go if I should lose everything.

My thoughts are that it is business as usual. Obama is doing the same old trick as any politician will do to divert the attention away from his failures by drawing attention to other stuff which will not change. All this talk about who pays what tax is not the problem. The problem is the gross irresponsible spending!!! Lets all talk about something that will get everyone fired up like insider trading so Obama can put out a smoke screen to hide his repetitive failures and then say put the bill on his desk and he will sign it. Mr. President stop your irresponsible spending, your smoke screens and put your own stuff on your desk so you can make a law against and already illegal act. See the Anomaly??? Stupid, I am dumbfounded as to how people can take him serious!!!

As a small business owner and small business consultant it isn'r either or Government or Free Enterprise but a balance of the two.
Ross
a Jack Kemp Republican (I know an oxymoron these days)

The problem with the economy is not enough people have money to buy the goods for companies to stay in business sales are down everywhere and on everything so people are unemployed, on welfare, and Illegal there for there are not enough taxes coming in from those people they are just draining the system. The next problem is the tax system itself flat tax no exceptions no special deductions. The next thing is the housing melt down like alot of many other people I myself was scammed by a preditory lender and lost a house credit ruined, people lost their savings unable to pay bills, again credit ruined so guess what with all these people looking like deadbeats they can not buy the big ticket items that require credit. Now with a lot of companies looking at credit when they are hiring, you are a deadbeat so you can not be trusted to fill the job even though you have a work ethic that has been proven for five, ten, twenty years, you are a deadbeat. So the way I see it eliminate the process of using your credit as a requirement for a job. Abolish the present tax system with a flat tax, eliminate the process of filing taxes because you pay your share no exceptions why do you need to send in paperwork to prove you did. Make everyone pay this flat tax even the illegals. Stop giving grants to schools and others to study things like the mating habits of grasshoppers, migrtory habits of birds and the other stupid stuff. When conress gives money to pay for something nothing can be attached "We need one million reams of paper for the government the cheapest rate is one dollar per ream, the invoice or bill says just that one million reams one millions dollars" sorry the neighborhood surrounding the vendor does not need a half million to upgrade the exit ramp to get there, and the lumber company cutting the trees does not need a half million to study what trees are needed. It is simple clear the roadblock to getting a job, get people back to work, with more people paying taxes the goverment has the money they need provided they do not waste it on special interest. With all these people working and reorganization of the credit agencies maybe people will be able to buy the items they produce.

People like Ronald Smith above certainly wont help anyone. I guess being IGNORANT is bliss.
From Above:
enjoyed the president's state of the union address last night. we want obama for another 4 more years so that he can finish repairing all this mess that the republicans caused the previous 8 years before he was elected.

By ronald smith { To much drugs son}

I am not a business owner, nor do I work. I am a 63 year old retired person. My qualifications for my opinion are as follows. 98.6, breathing and I have common sense.

The only thing I can say about the Presidents speech last evening is this: GET HIM OUT.
I would vote for a skateboard before I would vote for him. He has B______d his way into the office, bankrupted the country, raided the coffers and has done it with a straight face and a teleprompter.

I think I may nominate myself. I could probably do as much damage as our clueless leader has done and I am a rank amateur.

It is just more of the same from Mr. Obama. Same old lies, same old misguiding the public and making them think he is doing so much. He has had three years, going on four and has not accomplished anything but to get this Country deeper in debt, we will never recover from that miscarriage of his performance. I said before, he might be a nice person, "I'm still debating that" however, he was not qualified for that job. If people don't wake up this year and get him out of office, we are doomed. They need to identify the problems, state how they are going to resolve these problems without putting us further in the hole. As for me and my house, we have already cast our votes and hope that we have made a right choice.

I liked the address and he pointed important things that was not on his plate when he took office. I believe that if he bailed out only factories like GM where jobs exist, he would have not been criticized. Bailing out banks and insurance companies was a big mistake! However, who knew that the Republican remnats of the Bush administration were fleecing the housing economy with their shananigan financing scheme which led to one of the worst economic crisis in our country. Bush was a sham!!

I was highly disappointed with a repeat of the State of the Union address. He has had ample time to hire and fire people that can get this country out of debt and has had a majority in the Senate to pass anything that will get the country working and I have no confidence in him to make any attempt to do that. He's a borrowing fool and the fools who are the Taxpayers will be made to pay the piper.

I respect the office of the President. However, I have no respect for the individual holding that office. There is a saying, "How can you tell if he is lying?" "His mouth is open" He is a socialist and a true Democratic.

He and the fellow Democrats know how and want to spend our money. Look at the amount that Obama and Biden has given to charitable add. They want to keep their money and spend the Americans' money.

We need to double down on our efforts to ensure that congress and the office of president becomes conservative Republicans.

I have often had the occasion to visit DC on business. I often felt dirty and ill at ease to see what is happening in DC.

We need to close Washington down, place it in the middle of Montana, place a 500 mile perimeter and under no circumstances allow lobbying, Make Congress a job of responsibility and 2 terms at the most.

While I support of the office of President of the United States, I cannot support the current administration. The speech was a campaign speech and there was not much value in it. The country is in dire straits and I am very concerned.

We need to rein in the destructive tendencies of cowboy capitalism, whether on Wall Street or in the oil business: making a profit is NOT the most important thing in the world. Having a communal sense of responsibility to our society, and to the earth is far more important than making a zillion bucks. Business, as it repeatedly demonstrates, is not capable of policing itself. When left to do so it invariably lies to the public, becomes corrupted by narrow self-interests, and damages the society of which it is a part. Unfortunately government is the instrument required to address those abuses.

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