President Obama is giving his sixth
state of the union Tuesday. Things haven't quite worked out as hoped
for our President. Partly his fault, partly that of a resurgent and
extremist right-wing. We are where we are so there's no sense
thinking of what might have been. Nevertheles, here is the State of
the Union you won't be hearing tomorrow night.
First let's talk about the situation
here at home.
Let's get one thing straight at the
outset - the problem is not the deficit. It never has been and never
will be. The problem is the lack of jobs. The problem is an
overbloated military budget and our overseas misadventures. The
problem is a tax structure that taxes incomes of the wealthiest at
one of the lowest rates in the developed world. The problem is the
impact of money on elections and the influence of lobbyists on
legislation to serve their interests and not those of the nation.
The problem is that in this, the wealthiest nation on earth, we have
46 million living below the poverty line, 49 million living in food
insecure households, and nearly 50 million without health insurance.
The recession continues for many. An
under-funded stimulus in 2009 and continued Congressional inaction on
a jobs bill over the past five years have brought us to this point.
Yes, the official unemployment rate is "down" to 6.7%. But
we all know that when you add in underemployed part-time workers and
those discouraged from looking for any job, the number is much
higher. It's 13.1%. Therefore I am immediately sending to Congress
for their action a jobs and training bill designed to remedy this
sorry state of affairs. Infrastructure improvements - roads,
bridges, tunnels, schools - will be a high priority. Assistance to
city and state governments to hire teachers, police, and firefighters
will also be provided. Jobs in the environmental sector to combat
the coming effects of global warming - both in alternative energy
industries and in developing engineering solutions to the problems
that will face low-lying areas of our country. In addition, we are
investing in a massive program of medical research to eliminate cancer in our lifetime.
I am asking Congress to restore
long-term unemployment benefits until this jobs, training and research program
has its desired effect - an official unemployment rate no greater than 3%. I am asking for a hike in the Federal minimum wage to
$9.25 per hour to be automatically adjusted annually according to the
rate of inflation. This will get us back to an equivalent minimum
wage as we had in 1968. Also, I am signing an executive order
tonight that will require government contracts to be awarded only to
contractors who pay a living wage - $14.75/hour. This will allow a
wage earner to support a four member household at 125% of the poverty
line. I don't think anyone working a full-time job should live in
poverty in this country. Finally I will veto any spending bill that
comes to my desk that contains provisions for cuts in food stamps.
To do so at this time while maintaining massive subsidies for
agribusinesses is obscene.
And here's a message for the
Republican-controlled House of Representatives - do something that
actually helps the country recover from this recession. Vote against
the Affordable Care Act all you like if it makes you feel good. As
you and the rest of the country know, I will veto any such bill that
makes it to my desk. But do something useful in the meantime. The
above would be a modest start. Another item requiring your immediate
attention is the immigration reform bill passed by the Senate back in
June. If you can't think of anything better, just pass the bill from
the Senate. It's not perfect but it is a start.
Our democracy is under attack. These
attacks are not from any external threats but from the influence of
money on elections and legislation and from the well-funded and
organized attack on the right to vote. There is no greater, more
distinguishing right in a democracy than the right to vote. I have
therefore ordered the attorney general to contest voter id laws
passed since 2010. We all know why these laws were passed - they are
an attempt to disenfranchise minority, older, younger, and poorer
voters. It is an assault against our democracy to deny up to 5
million citizens their right to vote. And don't give us any nonsense
about voter fraud. That's about as common as shark attacks and you
know it. We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law any
state or group to unfairly deny or threaten to deny any citizen his
or her right to vote. In addition, I have requested that the
Department of Health and Human Services fully comply with the
National Voter Registration Act of 1993, which requires federal
agencies providing public assistance to help voters get registered.
Finally, we will introduce and work tirelessly for an amendment to
the Constitution that will provide for public financing of all
Federal elections and which will open the way for states to do the
same. No longer will the money and interests of a few determine the
direction our nation takes.
Under no circumstances will I allow the
Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare programs to be threatened in a
phony deficit crisis. These programs need to be strengthened not
weakened. If any spending is to be cut, it will come from the
military budget, which is vastly in excess of any rational needs for
our defense. Effective immediately, I am ordering the dismantling of
our nuclear arsenal and ask other nations possessing these weapons to
do the same. All troops remaining in Afghanistan will be withdrawn
as soon as safely practicable and we are immediately stopping all
combat operations in that nation. In addition, I have requested the
heads of the military branches to prepare base budgets for the coming
two fiscal years that are, respectively, 25% and 50% below the
current year's funding.
Our foreign policy will solely be one
of humanitarian assistance. We seek no empire and respect the right
of self-determination of the peoples of the world. The savings from
the reduced military budget will be put to good use in an effort to
eradicate disease and hunger world-wide.
We will no longer be arms dealers to
the world and request that other nations do the same. We are
stopping all military assistance programs. Arms merchants are being
put on notice that providing arms for foreign conflicts will be
treated as criminal behavior.
Other foreign policy objectives for
2014 are:
- a just and peaceful solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict - one that is consistent with international law and provides Palestinians with a viable homeland and Israel with peace
- an end to the Syrian Civil War
- an Iranian nuclear program monitored to ensure that it is for peaceful purposes and allowed as is their right as signatories to the Nuclear Non-Prolifertation Treaty
- an end to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa brought about by using our financial might to address the root causes of these conflicts
We will do all in our power to bring
about these objectives in a peaceful manner consistent with the
universal rights of man declared 65 years ago by the United Nations
and the four freedoms of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt -
freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and
freedom from fear.
Links
No comments:
Post a Comment