My Fellow Americans.
This is my second State of the Union Address to you, the people of this country. I have had two years in office to assess the lay of the land and to learn how the “system” works in this, Our Nation’s Capitol. I am both heartened and dismayed by what I have seen and the lessons I have learned. That experience will serve as the basis for my agenda that will take us into the future.
At the outset, I ask you, the American people, to take the time and effort to ferret out the truth, and not be swayed by the spin-doctors, the opinion-makers and those representing power through massive wealth and special interests. I did not seek this office to represent those interests. I came to represent you, the people of this great country who, I genuinely believe, laid the foundations for what ultimately led to one of the greatest democracies on the face of the earth. The last thirty years have seen an egregious assault on those principles. I intend to revisit the price that has been paid by you because those who represent you lost sight of the fact that we are a government of the people, not by those who covet power and great wealth.
Let me make one thing abundantly clear. I was elected to the Presidency by an overwhelming mandate from Democrats and Independents to effect “Change We Can Believe In.” I intend to fulfill that mandate.
I am going to dust off my campaign promises, undertake an assessment as to where my administration stands on all of those issues. To the extent they need to be re-thought or modified, I will take the necessary steps to bring them into line with the reality of today. Further, I will publish a status report on the internet so every one of you can see where we are at any given point in time. As part of this effort, I will expect the news media to assume and honor its role as an independent watchdog on government; not the mouthpiece for special interests.
If the past two years have taught me anything, I have learned that those who claim to be experts in any particular field of endeavor, because of their tenure in politics or as lobbyists, are the least objective source for an honest assessment of where we stand on the vital issues facing this country today. By definition, most have made compromises that are the complete antithesis of what this nation needs. I will, instead, look to the academic community and independent citizens who have distinguished themselves as leaders, for the advice and counsel I need to chart the course for a better future that will serve us all, not just a select few.
Transparency is to be the hallmark of my remaining tenure in office. There will be no more “private” or “secret” meetings behind closed doors. If any participant has a problem with that, then he is probably not suitable for the task at hand.
The State of the Union is not good. It needs a lot of work and nurturing to restore it to an acceptable level of health. Experience has taught me that leadership and statesmanship trumps politics. Compromise and bipartisanship, although noble, must be managed. To the extent those efforts may subvert what is best for this country, then they have no place at the table.
The Republicans in Congress have shown that they have little or no interest in seriously conducting the pressing business of this country. Rather, the thrust of what they represent is pursuing an agenda that caters to big money and special interests. Sadly, there are a few powerful and influential Democrats who are equally compromised. They have proven to be obstructionist by hampering the effective conduct of the peoples’ business. I do not intend to acquiesce to this strategy any longer. I will call them out when the situation demands it.
The Supreme Court has shown they are not as committed to the notion of judicial objectivity and impartiality as we have the right to expect. Their decision in the Citizens United case further underscores their proclivity for engaging in partisan politics at the expense of the oath they took and their solemn duty to the people of this country. Any appointments that I make to the Court in the future will be predicated on an established record of judicial impartiality.
That our economy is in shambles needs no embellishment. We can see all that has been laid to waste by the greed and avarice of those seeking to personally profit or enhance the profits of others at your expense. I pledge to do everything I can to thwart those self-serving attempts. Some of the major priorities I intend to address in the future are the following:
My top priority is to appoint a Presidential Commission on Clean Government, to be comprised of the finest constitutional and legal scholars in the country. Their charge will be to undertake a comprehensive review of our system of government, what it will take to clean it up, make it better and stronger, and prepare a plan of action for making it all happen consistent with the provisions and intent of the Constitution. In the meantime, I plan on taking immediate steps to focus on the following high-priority issues before this country:
1. Essential and effective safeguards for the regulation and control of the financial industries. Those that were recently adopted are woefully inadequate to restore integrity and confidence in the financial markets. The average American has paid an outrageous price for accommodations that were made in favor of Wall Street. Those have to be strengthened. I can think of no one more qualified to head such an effort than Elizabeth Warren.
2. The issue of Banking and how it can best serve the American people must be addressed as one of our top priorities. Without a healthy banking system, our economy cannot grow and prosper in today’s world.
3. We must re-examine our trade policies and bring them into line with what is fair and reasonable among our trading partners. The relationship must be reciprocal so all parties share equally in the responsibility for making those treaties work for the benefit of all.
4. We are in dire need of a comprehensive energy policy that will address all aspects of our energy needs now and into the future. The disproportionate amount of influence and resources granted to carbon-based energy has come at the expense of the American people and future generations. We must re-order our priorities, stop the subsidies to the oil and coal industries and shift those resources to the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable sources of energy. We cannot afford to defer that priority any longer.
5. The amount of our national resources devoted to defense has led us to the brink of a serious financial calamity if we fail to reign in the amount being consumed by the military establishment. There has to be a comprehensive review of the entire defense budget and its relationship to the myriad other national priorities that must be addressed in a fair and equitable manner.
6. We must re-examine our entire foreign policy and seek a balance in our obligations as a responsible member of the family of nations, and our commitment to world peace.
7. Education is at the bedrock of a healthy and viable nation on the world stage. We simply cannot afford to short-change our commitment to making our system of education the best in the world. We have a framework within our system of community colleges, state colleges and universities to place higher education within the reach of all Americans. We need to strengthen and broaden those bases of opportunity for not just the youth, but the working people of this country, as well.
8. Taxes are the price we pay for the privilege of living in a civilized society. The funds flowing into the coffers of government is the lifeblood of all we are and all we stand for. However, our tax structure must be fair and equitable. What we now have is clearly skewed in favor of the very wealthy and big business. A massive overhaul in the way we levy and collect taxes is essential to our continued economic growth, prosperity and survival.
9. The state of the infrastructure of this country must be addressed so that we strengthen and improve all of the facilities and services that are essential to meeting the needs of a healthy and viable society. The sheer magnitude and complexity of that effort will require the combined efforts of the best minds that can be brought to bear on that challenge.
10. The time has come to reaffirm the dignity of work in this country. Those who produce the goods and services on which we depend are just as valuable to our common well-being as those who provide the capital investment. The losses that working people have sustained over the past thirty years is nothing short of reprehensible. Our entire system of labor laws must be reviewed and we must pass legislation that strengthens and provides remedies for the working people of this country.
This is but a start on the long journey to restoring health and vitality to our society. As we embark on this endeavor, my goal is to look to centers of knowledge and expertise for the answers we seek, and not what is politically expedient. The inordinate influence of politics has proven to be more self-serving than in serving the national interest. That is a price we can no longer afford to pay.
I did not seek this office to become wealthy and to live out the remainder of my life among the elite. Rather, I sought the presidency because I wanted to serve you, the people, and to leave a legacy for my children and your children that will testify to the fact that I genuinely cared and I did the very best I could for all of you.
I have been humbled by the fact that I stand before you as the first Black American to hold the highest office in the land. However, my Mother was a Caucasian from the Heartland of America, the Great State of Kansas. Her blood courses through my veins, as well, underscoring the fact that I represent all who comprise this great melting pot called The United States of America.
Thank you and may God richly bless each and every one of you. With His help and yours, I cannot fail.
Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
Cowboy Bob
March 11, 2011
.
No comments:
Post a Comment