State of the Union Addresses 2010, 2011 and 2012

I wrote blogs after President Obama's State of the Union speeches in 2010 and 2011, so decided to do the same in 2012. Below are excerpts from the January 2010 blog and notes in italics from my January 2011 blog. If you want to read the entire blogs, go to my personal website at <www.rvharvey.com>. I am adding this year's comments following this comparison.

On January 28, 2010, I wrote:
I listened to Obama's entire State of the Union speech last night and must admit that he has a golden tongue and knows how to work crowds! Alert cameramen caught Napolitano napping and Ried yawning, but President Obama was obviously in his element, doing what he does best.

January 25, 2011
The cameramen were kinder this year. Perhaps they got reprimanded last time.

On January 28, 2010, I wrote:
The audience was strangely silent toward the end of the speech. Obama seemed nervous when he paused for applause that didn't even come from the Democrat side. At one point, Joe Biden could be seen applauding, but he stopped clapping when he realized that he was all alone.

January 25, 2011
There was less applause this year and it seemed like people were confused about when they were supposed to applaud and when they should be silent. That was probably due to the fact that the red tie people and blue tie people were mixed instead of sticking together. I understand that was to signal a new beginning of cooperative effort. Joe Biden did a repeat performance.

On January 28, 2010, I wrote:
A little child asked, "Mommy, do all fairy tales start with 'once upon a time?'" Mommy replied, "No child, some of them start with "I do" and others start with "If I am elected, I will.'"

January 25, 2011
That statement was worth repeating.

On January 28, 2010, I wrote:
I wrote about President Obama's standard explanation for America's problems in my last blog. He used the phrase "the past eight years" again last night, but also added an updated version, "the past decade." Either way you look at it, I must give him credit for including his own first year.

January 25, 2011
Obama talked about "the past ten years" this time. Now he includes both of his years in the White House as being part of the problem.

On January 28, 2010, I wrote:
Restoring Trust
President Obama praised Americans for traditionally showing "human dignity," "ideals," "values," and "fundamental decency," but he chided them for not allowing gays to parade their sexuality in the military.

January 25, 2011
This year, Obama praised himself and his Democratic colleagues for allowing gays, lesbians and transsexuals to openly declare [and practice?] their sexual preferences in the military. Cameramen showed top military brass not applauding.

On January 28, 2010, I wrote:
Obama announced his plan to restore trust in the Federal Government. He is calling for a freeze on government spending (with some exceptions) for three years.

That should really scare Americans! We have been alarmed at the astronomical sums of taxpayer money (mostly of our children and grandchildren) that have been thrown at banks, mortgage companies and auto makers. There seems to be no end of this reckless spending for bail-outs and stimulus plans.

The President added that the freeze will not begin until next year. That gives him enough time to wrap up his three trillion dollar health plan with all the pork needed to buy the necessary votes.

Our President promised that this sort of wild and reckless spending will continue to increase in 2010 and then "freeze" through 2014.

January 25, 2011
Obama repeated this promise but I didn't hear him give a target date for the start of the freeze.

On January 28, 2010, my final line was:
Did that restore your trust?

January 25, 2011
In this year's speech the President made a promise that could restore my trust -- if he keeps it. He said that any bill landing on his desk that includes pork will be vetoed. Harry Ried has already declared that pork is still on the menu.

STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH
January 24, 2012

President Obama finished his State of the Union Speech a few minutes ago and my wife is listening to the Republican response. After that, Herman Cain will give an internet response from the Tea Party movement. I decided to write my own response.

I listened carefully to the speech, taking two pages of notes, but I had difficulty recognizing my country as the President painted it.

I worked in an art gallery for several years, making brand-new, hand-carved, gold-leafed picture frames for centuries-old masterpieces. I prided myself in making those new frames look just as old as the paintings themselves. I battered the frames with chains, created what appeared to be worm holes and smeared dirt into cracks and crevices. Even art experts had difficulty distinguishing my frames from old originals.

Making an old worm-eaten and beat-up frame look like new would present a greater challenge. Not many Americans were fooled by the picture that President Obama painted of America. He used too much rose-colored paint.

Perhaps I am not seeing the "real" picture, but America didn't seem to have gotten that much better since Obama became President. In fact, the nation's condition has worsened considerably! The picture Obama painted did not depict the State of the Union I live in!

I was reminded of an acquaintance who had more than enough body mass stored up for seven lean years and recognized the need to lose weight. About once a week she boasted to friends of all the weight she was losing, yet by all appearances, she was still gaining. This went on for about a year until I finally figured out what her secret was. She weighed herself twice a day, once right after supper, and again before breakfast. By subtracting the difference each day and adding the daily sums together, she was able to document her weekly success.

Since the bailouts of the American auto industry and the Cash for Clunkers program, Detroit is selling more cars. The big government push for electric cars has also helped. A lot of government organizations are being required to purchase them, which makes sense. The government owns 26.5% of GM stock. The Toyota recall problems, Japanese earthquake and tsunami knocked Toyota out of first place, allowing General Motors to move up.

The President also painted a couple of bright spots on the economic landscape. The Master Lock Company of Milwaukee has brought back approximately 100 union jobs (emphasis on "union") to its Milwaukee factory and is running at full capacity. In this economy, people are trying to protect what they have left.

Mr. Obama also told of a former yacht manufacturer who switched to building wind turbines and was able to hire a jobless man.

One part of the State of the Union picture was painted in rather drab, dark colors. True to form, Obama mentioned the previous administration and his predecessor several times. He said that millions of jobs were lost in the six months before he took office, but he didn't say how many were lost since he took office. The President complained that, like billionaire Warren Buffet, neither he nor the Representatives seated before him were paying enough taxes. I would approve of giving the Obamas 100% tax freedom in return for cutting out half their vacations and White House staff, now paid for by taxpayers.

In the education corner of his painting, Mr. Obama said that he wants all States to pass legislation requiring every young person to get a High School diploma. Students should not be permitted to drop out before age 18. I am assuming that teachers would not be permitted to flunk them either. Perhaps unmotivated students could major in art and learn to paint their own futures like Obama paints the present. Or they could design their own diplomas.

Obama got carried away painting the sky, using mostly pastel colors to depict various forms of clean energy. Those who read my blog know that I am a big proponent of renewable energy. I like to sail and work on small sailboats, which are the cleanest modes of transportation, using only water, wind and solar energy. He said that some clean energy firms may fail (like Solyndra, which received half a billion from the government), but he "will not walk away from" supporting clean energy firms.

The President repeated the demand he made last year, that millions of union jobs be created to build or rebuild roads and bridges. He promised to sign bills which would allow homeowners to get new mortgages at reduced rates. He said he has directed his administration to eliminate unnecessary red tape. The law requiring farmers to prevent contamination from spilled milk has already been dumped, but he pledged to increase government intervention in oil spills.

Instead of olive green camouflage colors, the President painted the military in bright red, white and blue. Pointing to the American flag, he said that there are 50 stars and 13 stripes all stitched together to make one flag. He got the numbers right this time. He wished he could paint members of Congress and the Senate in the same colors, but said they need to stop being consumed by personal ambitions and, like the military, learn to play by the same rules. I am not sure what rules he was referring to, but it could not have been the "Don't ask, don't tell" rule which was overturned last year. There are different rules for Privates, Lieutenants, Majors, Generals and the Commander in Chief, so he couldn't have meant these. Perhaps he will explain what he meant in next year's State of the Union presentation.