USA :: State of the Union

That was a great speech for our country... I hope our leaders can set aside their political maneuvering to deal with America's many issues, all very expensive.

On NBR tonight, the value of the US dollar was only 89 cents...  not good in my mind.  It keeps going lower and lower.

In one of the documentaries I watched recently, they shared a graphic that said the entire military budget was about a fourth of the healthcare expenses... and I have no idea what year they were refering to.

Our "infrastructure" -- roads, bridges, railways, etc... --  is in such bad shape, it will take years and more money than we have for it.  I still remember making a trip across the nation and having to travel on freeways with horrendous pits for miles and miles... deep "potholes" in cement freeways.  You can find lots of reports on how bad our bridges are.  These tasks will create jobs, but the problem is finances.  All our governments, which collect tax dollars to pay for all these projects, are suffering in the money department.  I know the federal government is living on its "credit card" balances, so I assume state and local governments are struggling as well.

I was glad he was stopping "aid" to countries that hate us.  I'm not sure about the prison plan for terrorists... it all depends on what they do there... if we become like the enemy, what good is that?

The biggest issue is the debt, I think.  The debt is our safety net... and we don't have that anymore.  I keep trying to figure out some way to get it down fast, but there doesn't seem to be anything I can see yet.

I was really sad to see the way the Democrats acted...  if it was a Democratic President, would the Republicans be doing the same thing?  It is really divisive... not good for our national needs.  I think the people we elect become a group that is detached from the real people of our country... a world to themselves... manipulative, power-centered, ineffective, greedy, media controlled, and in office too long... like a corporation that never changes it's controling executives.

It was hard to hear the tragedies of the President's visitors... the people that are highlighted in a speech.  There are always more details than we know about to those stories.  I cried more than once.

Prison reform was mentioned, but no details given.  Anything to help inmates re-enter the new world they are released to is good.  Maybe I better send them my suggestions...   :-)

It was a good speech in my view... focused on the need to deal with the issues America is facing.  We may not agree on the solutions, but we have to get some movement in better directions.  The internet makes all of us vulnerable.  Fully funding the military is critical to our safety and survival.

It appears they like coal and gas and oil... I would rather see more development in solar and wind and water, but in smaller and different directions than what exists today.

I hope we have a good year... as a nation... as America... as the greatest nation on earth... and the most critical.