The Sorry State of the Union
It was pure drudgery, but like all good citizens I watched the State of the Union address this week, as I do every year regardless of whether my candidate is speaking or not. Like many other commentators, I thought The Great Orator came across as somewhat flat this year. Not surprising, considering that he was severely rebuked in the midterm elections. The same old supercilious (see WOW) attitude, typical of a Harvard elitist, was still there, but behind the façade was a man who obviously had less confidence in his own beliefs than just one year earlier.
Casting doubt on his impressive university credentials, Mr. Obama made it clear that he still does not have a clue about the serious state of the union and his pivotal role in getting it to this stage. The president made a pathetic gesture of reducing federal spending by a few million dollars, while at the same time proposing massive new spending to the tune of billions more in tax payer dollars. All this as the Congressional Budget Office has just announced that the federal budget deficit will reach a record $1.5 trillion in 2011. Social Security alone will run a $45 billion deficit this year.
There was one aspect of the State of the Union speech that made it all worth while…that new face behind the ‘Glorious Leader! What a breath of fresh air to see the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, sitting on the podium. It was reassuring to know that he was probably already planning how to block these new spending proposals even as the president spoke. The rebuttal responses of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, representing the Republican Party, and Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, representing the Tea Party Movement, were spot on. These two individuals have a clear grasp of the real state of the union and are determined to do something about it. If you haven’t registered as a Republican and joined the Tea Party Patriots yet, now would be a good time!
Postscript:
While we’re bashing elitist Ivy League universities, I’m reminded of a good chuckle I had recently as I watched the 1963 classic comedy, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”. In one scene Ethel Merman, one of my favorite Broadway stars, is addressing Terry-Thomas, one of my favorite British comedians, when she asks, “Where’d you get that funny accent? Are you from Harvard or something!”
