President's confusing message

I listened and watched the latest episode of the State of the Union message and was left confused.

At the end, President Barack Obama spoke about how great this country and its people are. I wonder why, when he is in foreign countries, he usually speaks about how many terrible things that we are currently causing or have been responsible for causing in the past. One would think we are one of the worst countries in the world if not in history. Which of these two does he really believe?

During my career in the Marines, I observed many leaders both in peace and war. I evaluated them on how they performed rather than what they said. I recall a gunnery sergeant in Vietnam - he was in a sister outfit - who was a terror until combat occurred and then he was a coward who could not be trusted. Needless to say he was moved before he had troops injured.

One must remember Vietnam was the first combat since the Korean War ended in 1953, so many military personnel could advance without being tested in combat for at least a dozen years. Examining an individual's record of achievements provides an opportunity to predict if an individual will perform well in a new assignment. We were never given that opportunity in the case of our current president.

Obama does have a way with words and he really sounds confident and competent, but what has he done during the past year? During the speech, he rattled off a list of accomplishments, but did they really happen? How does one count "saved" jobs? All of those teachers, firemen and policemen who are working now are because of the stimulus bill according to him.

Huh?

He intends to continue to fight for health care reform and says we are too close to quit now. Senator-elect Scott Brown from Massachusetts ran specifically against the bill and won in a state that is significantly blue. It is obvious the president does not understand why that happened. Polls throughout the country report Americans do not want anything like the current bill.

How many times must that message be sent before it is understood?

The president said he wanted input from all parties, but why were all previous negotiations done behind closed doors with only Democrats? Could it possibly be no Republican votes were needed in either the Senate or House to pass any legislation and there was no way the Republicans could stop anything?

With the election of Brown, the Republicans now have the means to stop a bill if they all stick together. That election has also scared many Democrats who are in seats in contested areas. Perhaps they do not intend to sacrifice their reelection potential for a bill Americans consistently state they do not want. The president warned the Democrats not to run away and for the Republicans to cooperate.

The president also spoke about education and the need to have one that is superior. I suspect his answer will be to spend more money. We already spend more money than any other country, but the results leave much to be desired. Perhaps looking at different methods would help. Private schools do not have the same dismal results as the government schools. Why are they so much better?

I almost laughed when the president spoke about not having lobbyists in government. Next he will talk about not having anyone on his staff who did not pay income taxes, since the entire White House is full of them.

The speech went on for more than an hour and was interrupted with more than 80 applauses. The list of additional spending sounded more like a campaign speech. His cap on spending sounded great except it only covers 17 percent of budget items and those were increased by upwards of 20 to 30 percent this year. The Environmental Protection Agency was increased by 35 percent.

Think about it. We are in dire financial straits and have been for nearly two years, and the government continues to spend more money.

Obama also wants to double exports within five years. I'm sure the Cap-and-Trade Bill will assist in achieving that goal since costs will skyrocket.