2005-02-03 - 12:34 a.m.

State of the Union

Anyone see that State of the Union? Where he had his big theme of protecting America for it's children? No? Let me run down the key points.

1) Social Security has been going to shit forever, but now the administration is making a big deal of it to cover their ass on the economy and Iraq. Who can argue reforming Social Security, and they can say they are looking for the benefit of the future. That may be, but it seems like an issue to make America get behind him again...much like how convieniently the Iraqi elections lined up with the State of the Union address.

Bottom line, they're gonna privatize social security into low risk bonds, which will "fix" the problem, which probably isn't as bad as they say. Instead of keeping the current plan and lessening the benefits for the wealthy to give to those who are more needy, we're going to put our future into the hands of big corporations. That's not republican at all.

2) This wasn't a big speaking point, but it made me laugh. Bush said that he wants a High School Diploma to be a 'ticket to success.' Nice. Let's have our standards of jobs lowered a little bit. That will totally make us able to compete in the international market.

Instead of making incentives for higher education, we are going to implement procedures to say that it is okay to strive for mediocrity. Brilliant.

3) We are not looking to push our form of government on others. He actually said that. And then recounted how he wanted Iraq to be a model for the world's newest threat, Iran. He wants Syria and Egypt to comply with democracy, too...but we aren't pushing our governments on to people.

And, the biggest thing to take from this in my opinion, he made a statement to the people of Iran who desire freedom, and that we are on their side. That sounds an awful lot like priming for an invasion...of course, to give them the choice of democracy, because we wouldn't want to force our government on anyone.

"We will free the world of tyranny."
- George W. Bush, 2/02/05.

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