Posted on 01/20/2004 4:01:54 PM PST by Hillary's Lovely Legs
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President Bush will deliver the annual State of the Union this evening at 9:01pm (Eastern Time). The speech will be webcast live on the White House web site.
The President will discuss the extraordinary challenges our country has faced and the historic achievements we have made. Yet he will also stress that there.s much more for our country to do:
"America this evening is a Nation called to great responsibilities. And we are rising to meet them " "We have not come all this way through tragedy, and trial, and war only to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same of us." He will also remind the American people that we are a Nation still at war, and our government is meeting its responsibility to protect the American people: "Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11, 2001 over two years without an attack on American soil and it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable, comforting and false."
"...America is on the offensive against the terrorists..." "As part of the offensive against terror, we are also confronting the regimes that harbor and support terrorists, and could supply them with nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons " "...Because of American leadership and resolve, the world is changing for the better " He will discuss the progress were making in Afghanistan and Iraq, and renew our commitment to ensuring those countries are free and peaceful: "The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free, and proud, and fighting terror " "The work of building a new Iraq is hard, and it is right. And America has always been willing to do what it takes for what is right."
On priorities here at home, the President will discuss why hes optimistic about our growing economy, and call on Congress to take action that will help turn our economic recovery into a lasting recovery. He will call on them to help train Americans for the jobs of the 21st Century: "Americas growing economy is also a changing economy. As technology transforms the way almost every job is done, America becomes more productive, and workers need new skills We must respond by helping more Americans gain the skills to find good jobs in our new economy." President Bush will also discuss the importance of health care and the major cause for why Americans lack health insurance: the rising costs of health care. "On the critical issue of health care, our goal is to ensure that Americans can choose and afford private health care coverage that best fits their individual needs. To make insurance more affordable, Congress must act to address rapidly rising health care costs." Finally, the President will argue that in a time of great change in our country and world, the things that make our country strong should never change: "We are living in a time of great change Yet some things endure courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, respect for differences of faith and race. The values we try to live by never change. And they are instilled in us by fundamental institutions, such as families, and schools, and religious congregations. These institutions the unseen pillars of civilization must remain strong in America "
"All of us parents, schools, government must work together to counter the negative influence of the culture, and to send the right messages to our children."
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"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." Article II, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution • History • State of the Union - 2003
Q1. What President delivered the first State of the Union Address?
George Washington
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January 20, 2004
Communications Director Dan Bartlett discussed this year's State of the Union.
January 19, 2004
Author/Historian Richard Norton Smith discussed the history of the State of the Union address.
Could have. Those of us in medicine tend to notice things like that. I'd be interested in his neurological state. That shaking of his head didn't look right.
If another country is investing time and money to undermine America on our soil, then we must in turn invest time and energy to counter their efforts.
"But here again, I think we need to carefully examine our commitment to these "balanced" ministries. I object on the grounds that Islam is not a religion of peace."
Meaning what exactly?
That the practice of Islam should be somehow banned in America?
Because if that's your contention, then I say why stop there?
We could also ban Christian Identity groups, Santeria worship, the General Assembly Church of the First Born because they refuse to allow medical treatment for sick kids...
Where do we stop?
I didn't really care to hear it either, but my perverse sense of masochism momentarily overwhelmed my good sense. I turned on Univision and listened to part of it in Spanish. I always need to practice (for the jobs of the 21st century?), and I figured it was more directed at the Latinos than "us", anyway.
Watching congress act like trained monkeys jumping up and down every time some new giveway program was mentioned was an embarrassment, frankly. I was trying to find the prompter who was giving them the "stand-up/sit down" signals, but I guess he/she/it was off-screen.
Before commenting here, I read the full text of the speech to make sure I didn't miss anything important. I didn't. There was no "there" there.
The impression left by his speech was that Bush's vision of the United States is of a benevolent (but well-armed, just in case) social welfare agency.
I mean really, is steroid use by athletics one of the pressing issues of our time? ...or mentoring the children of prisoners? Does the "vital work of the Country" consist of "feeding the hungry, taking the hand of the lonely"?
I had to turn it off at that point.
The federal government shouldn't be in the education business, the mentoring business, or the lonely-hearts business. It has no authority to do so (not that Bush gives a hoot about the Constitution or his sworn oath to uphold it).
You are correct that our economic substance has been "eaten out". America has become a nation of government social workers, con-men, paper-pushers and assorted symbol-manipulators all fighting over the scraps of the once glorious technical achievements designed and built in the last century.
It's going to be a hard lesson when America realizes that those pieces of paper that we thought were wealth were just pieces of paper after all. In reality, all true wealth is ultimately based upon the products or methods created by the mind of man - from the discovery of agriculture eons ago, to the construction of space vehicles.
Very soon now we are going to wake up to an announcement: "Account Overdrawn".
In twenty short years, we have gone from "It's Morning in America" to "Here, let me help you...".
There's more to the first amendment than meets the untrained but well-meaning eye. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
Aawww - what's the matter. Get testy when everyone isn't the perfect little ideologue and start whining about imperfect things are.
Then get nice and vidictive when someone supports Mr. Bush for doing a good but not perfect job. Hurl spiteful remarks when those others don't agree with everything you believe - because they can't be TRUE conservatives.
If a football team won a game 21-12, your kind of "thinking" would would scream that they lost because the game wasn't perfect.
The rest of us can disagree with a couple points but accept that Bush is doing a good job in a tough situation.
Insisting on perfection will leave you in a dark and lonely place.
The tax cuts are excellent and of course so is cutting the deficit in half. Now what he needs to do is cut all but military spending in half. Take the government out of education --- return education --- including those community colleges he spoke of --- back to local communities. Let businesses that want trained employees pay for the retraining programs. He can even salvage the illegal alien thing by saying it will be their employers who need them so badly who will pay for the health care and education for themselves and their families.
The vitriol and vile hatred for Bush by the chest thumping keyboard 'macho men' that have OVERTAKEN FR lately, is most likely more offensive to women than to men, given our innate, God-given sensitivities.
I know a whole lot of strong, intelligent, educated, articulate women who won't come NEAR most threads because almost every one has been hijacked by these Johnny One Note nasties, and it's just not worth it.
I, on the other hand occasionally get in the mood to take these morons on, and reveal to the world the vacancies in their brains where logic is meant to dwell..........
I think that's where most of them live.......
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