Madame Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and the First Lady of the United States:
I’ve come here tonight not only to address the distinguished men and women in this great chamber, but to speak frankly and directly to the men and women who sent us here.
I know that for many Americans watching right now, the state of our economy is a concern that rises above all others. And rightly so. If you haven’t been personally affected by this recession, you probably know someone who has – a friend; a neighbor; a member of your family. You don’t need to hear another list of statistics to know that our economy is in crisis, because you live it every day. It’s the worry you wake up with and the source of sleepless nights. It’s the job you thought you’d retire from but now have lost; the business you built your dreams upon that’s now hanging by a thread; the college acceptance letter your child had to put back in the envelope. The impact of this recession is real, and it is everywhere.
Really. Is there someone that DOESN’T experience this recession? Perhaps someone like those who gave you the most campaign donations?
But while our economy may be weakened and our confidence shaken; though we are living through difficult and uncertain times, tonight I want every American to know this:
We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before.
Wow. Inspiring, huh? About as much as Mr George W Bush telling us he is going to bring integrity and honor back to the White House, right? I have seen this one line quote at least 10 times this morning, as IF this were the highlight of the speech. Are you Sheople so damned gullible that this is all it takes to get you going? You would have made fine Brown Shirters.
The weight of this crisis will not determine the destiny of this nation. The answers to our problems don’t lie beyond our reach. They exist in our laboratories and universities; in our fields and our factories; in the imaginations of our entrepreneurs and the pride of the hardest-working people on Earth. Those qualities that have made America the greatest force of progress and prosperity in human history we still possess in ample measure. What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more.
You’d think he might mention the waste and bloat of the Military Industrial Complex, or the corporate control of our leaders, but then one would have to think that he believes these to be important issues. Does anyone really believe that the answers lie in labs and schools. Of course this will help, but it surely is not the answer. The answer lies in having our government stop spending our money policing the world. THAT, by and large, is our biggest problem financially and in the world’s view of us.
Now, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that for too long, we have not always met these responsibilities – as a government or as a people. I say this not to lay blame or look backwards, but because it is only by understanding how we arrived at this moment that we’ll be able to lift ourselves out of this predicament.
The fact is, our economy did not fall into decline overnight. Nor did all of our problems begin when the housing market collapsed or the stock market sank. We have known for decades that our survival depends on finding new sources of energy. Yet we import more oil today than ever before. The cost of health care eats up more and more of our savings each year, yet we keep delaying reform. Our children will compete for jobs in a global economy that too many of our schools do not prepare them for. And though all these challenges went unsolved, we still managed to spend more money and pile up more debt, both as individuals and through our government, than ever before.
Yet you endorsed and voted for the continued tax breaks for the richest of the rich, you vote lockstep as a Senator to “drill, baby. drill”, you are indebted to Big Money and protect the illegal wiretapping and other misdeeds done by the previous administration.
In other words, we have lived through an era where too often, short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldn’t afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day.
Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here.
Yeah, and that day of reckoning will be all us poor schmucks paying for your rich bastard cronies’ screwing of America. I’m sure, your pal Timmy Boy Geithner will make sure that it is my back that pays for the above reckoning. Thanks a lot.
Now is the time to act boldly and wisely – to not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jumpstart job creation, re-start lending, and invest in areas like energy, health care, and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down. That is what my economic agenda is designed to do, and that’s what I’d like to talk to you about tonight.
It’s an agenda that begins with jobs.
Yeah, I can’t wait to grab a road flag and begin my $8/hr “New Deal” work.
As soon as I took office, I asked this Congress to send me a recovery plan by President’s Day that would put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government – I don’t. Not because I’m not mindful of the massive debt we’ve inherited – I am. I called for action because the failure to do so would have cost more jobs and caused more hardships. In fact, a failure to act would have worsened our long-term deficit by assuring weak economic growth for years. That’s why I pushed for quick action. And tonight, I am grateful that this Congress delivered, and pleased to say that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is now law.
I’m sorry, but where in the hell have you been the last two years or more? Forgive me for pointing out that you and your complicit Democratic Party allowed much of what has happened. You were lockstep with those who have ravaged us because you didn’t say anything then… Sorry, Mr Obama, but you are very late for this very important date. No cred, dude.
Over the next two years, this plan will save or create 3.5 million jobs. More than 90% of these jobs will be in the private sector – jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind turbines and solar panels; laying broadband and expanding mass transit.
Because of this plan, there are teachers who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids. Health care professionals can continue caring for our sick. There are 57 police officers who are still on the streets of Minneapolis tonight because this plan prevented the layoffs their department was about to make.
Because of this plan, 95% of the working households in America will receive a tax cut – a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1st.
I understand this adds up to a whopping $400 per individual. Thank you, Sir, may I have another?
Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college. And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm.
I know there are some in this chamber and watching at home who are skeptical of whether this plan will work. I understand that skepticism. Here in Washington, we’ve all seen how quickly good intentions can turn into broken promises and wasteful spending. And with a plan of this scale comes enormous responsibility to get it right.
Let me quickly interject that there is not a damned one of you (except perhaps Kucinich and Paul) who has kept a check on the entire crooked cabal in DC. It’s good to know that you are perceptive enough to realize that few people trust any of you. Remember that.
That is why I have asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort – because nobody messes with Joe. I have told each member of my Cabinet as well as mayors and governors across the country that they will be held accountable by me and the American people for every dollar they spend. I have appointed a proven and aggressive Inspector General to ferret out any and all cases of waste and fraud. And we have created a new website called recovery.gov so that every American can find out how and where their money is being spent.
So the recovery plan we passed is the first step in getting our economy back on track. But it is just the first step. Because even if we manage this plan flawlessly, there will be no real recovery unless we clean up the credit crisis that has severely weakened our financial system.
I want to speak plainly and candidly about this issue tonight, because every American should know that it directly affects you and your family’s well-being. You should also know that the money you’ve deposited in banks across the country is safe; your insurance is secure; and you can rely on the continued operation of our financial system. That is not the source of concern.
The concern is that if we do not re-start lending in this country, our recovery will be choked off before it even begins.
He has a mouse in his pocket, if he thinks “we” need to re-start lending. The truth of the matter is this: we gave them their bailout and they screwed us out of it. Now you want to give them more. Sounds like a plan to me (another failure and screwing), but a plan, nonetheless.
You see, the flow of credit is the lifeblood of our economy. The ability to get a loan is how you finance the purchase of everything from a home to a car to a college education; how stores stock their shelves, farms buy equipment, and businesses make payroll.
Yes, but the non-regulated way it has been done (and you apparently agreed with) has turned that particular ideology on its head. Credit has also turned this country into a service centered economy where we don’t make shit any more. The credit has been on the backs of Americans who cannot really afford it. The chickens have come home to roost, as your fine Preacher you distanced yourself from once said, correctly.
But credit has stopped flowing the way it should. Too many bad loans from the housing crisis have made their way onto the books of too many banks. With so much debt and so little confidence, these banks are now fearful of lending out any more money to households, to businesses, or to each other. When there is no lending, families can’t afford to buy homes or cars. So businesses are forced to make layoffs. Our economy suffers even more, and credit dries up even further.
We gave them the money (my money, dude) to get this shit rolling again. And what happened? (Crickets chirping)
That is why this administration is moving swiftly and aggressively to break this destructive cycle, restore confidence, and re-start lending.
We will do so in several ways. First, we are creating a new lending fund that represents the largest effort ever to help provide auto loans, college loans, and small business loans to the consumers and entrepreneurs who keep this economy running.
Second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages. It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values – Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped bring about. In fact, the average family who re-finances today can save nearly $2000 per year on their mortgage.
What about me? I am a foreward thinker and saw the impending doom coming a few years ago. I took advantage, did the work necessary and sold my house at the beginning of the massive housing slump (if I had waited, I would be bankrupt right now). I spend $1200/month on Health Insurance premiums, alone (which IS a house payment or more for most people). How does this shit help someone who has played by the rules all along and was thoughtful enough to see what was upcoming?
Third, we will act with the full force of the federal government to ensure that the major banks that Americans depend on have enough confidence and enough money to lend even in more difficult times. And when we learn that a major bank has serious problems, we will hold accountable those responsible, force the necessary adjustments, provide the support to clean up their balance sheets, and assure the continuity of a strong, viable institution that can serve our people and our economy.
Here is where we disagree vehemently. Unless you are sending money to ME, by God, to help bail ME out, I do NOT want another dime of my tax money going to another bank.
Let me be clear about what I mean. FUCK them. Let them fail just like I will be let to fail. There is not a single bank or banker in this world more important to me than me or my family.
I understand that on any given day, Wall Street may be more comforted by an approach that gives banks bailouts with no strings attached, and that holds nobody accountable for their reckless decisions. But such an approach won’t solve the problem. And our goal is to quicken the day when we re-start lending to the American people and American business and end this crisis once and for all.
I intend to hold these banks fully accountable for the assistance they receive, and this time, they will have to clearly demonstrate how taxpayer dollars result in more lending for the American taxpayer. This time, CEOs won’t be able to use taxpayer money to pad their paychecks or buy fancy drapes or disappear on a private jet. Those days are over.
Really? Then you get every nickel that was given in the TARP back. NOW. They had their chance and they screwed us again. Just because they fund much of your campaign and win as POTUS means absolutely NOTHING to me. Besides, Mr Obama, you lie with abandon and I cannot trust you. I wish you would prove that last statement wrong.
Still, this plan will require significant resources from the federal government – and yes, probably more than we’ve already set aside. But while the cost of action will be great, I can assure you that the cost of inaction will be far greater, for it could result in an economy that sputters along for not months or years, but perhaps a decade. That would be worse for our deficit, worse for business, worse for you, and worse for the next generation. And I refuse to let that happen.
It may be bad, but what you are doing is to delay the inevitable, and then it will be compounded substantially. We simply cannot keep going on propping up this fake economy, just so your fat cat friends can continue to get rich and bring us closer to a New World Order.
Here’s what you should start doing: get rid of the Federal Reserve. Let the banks who did this go insolvent and we will come out of this within a year or two. Otherwise, the next time this comes around (and it will, because it is a ponzi scheme of immense proportions), we will simply be asked to bail them all out again. I’m sorry, but my 4.5 year old doesn’t need that burden.
I understand that when the last administration asked this Congress to provide assistance for struggling banks, Democrats and Republicans alike were infuriated by the mismanagement and results that followed. So were the American taxpayers. So was I.
So I know how unpopular it is to be seen as helping banks right now, especially when everyone is suffering in part from their bad decisions. I promise you – I get it.
Then don’t do it, dumbass. It is wrong and is taking my money. You, Mr Obama, are allowing rich bastards to take my money. You must NOT get it. Tell you what, Mr O: divvy up the money you intend to give to these banks among the tax payers and watch as the economy gets a massive stimulated hard-on. What you are intending to do is enrich your friends even more. Sorry, but piss on your friends.
But I also know that in a time of crisis, we cannot afford to govern out of anger, or yield to the politics of the moment. My job – our job – is to solve the problem. Our job is to govern with a sense of responsibility. I will not spend a single penny for the purpose of rewarding a single Wall Street executive, but I will do whatever it takes to help the small business that can’t pay its workers or the family that has saved and still can’t get a mortgage.
That’s what this is about. It’s not about helping banks – it’s about helping people. Because when credit is available again, that young family can finally buy a new home. And then some company will hire workers to build it. And then those workers will have money to spend, and if they can get a loan too, maybe they’ll finally buy that car, or open their own business. Investors will return to the market, and American families will see their retirement secured once more. Slowly, but surely, confidence will return, and our economy will recover.
And did the Sheople say, “Amen”?
So I ask this Congress to join me in doing whatever proves necessary. Because we cannot consign our nation to an open-ended recession. And to ensure that a crisis of this magnitude never happens again, I ask Congress to move quickly on legislation that will finally reform our outdated regulatory system. It is time to put in place tough, new common-sense rules of the road so that our financial market rewards drive and innovation, and punishes short-cuts and abuse.
The recovery plan and the financial stability plan are the immediate steps we’re taking to revive our economy in the short-term. But the only way to fully restore America’s economic strength is to make the long-term investments that will lead to new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete with the rest of the world. The only way this century will be another American century is if we confront at last the price of our dependence on oil and the high cost of health care; the schools that aren’t preparing our children and the mountain of debt they stand to inherit. That is our responsibility.
Yet, you have no qualms about mounting BILLIONS more debt on their backs without shutting down the institutions that caused the mess. Hypocrite!
In the next few days, I will submit a budget to Congress. So often, we have come to view these documents as simply numbers on a page or laundry lists of programs. I see this document differently. I see it as a vision for America – as a blueprint for our future.
My budget does not attempt to solve every problem or address every issue. It reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession.
Do you suppose that the congress will get more than a few hours to actually read the Sheople F@cking Documant before they get to vote on it? Unlike the last one?
Given these realities, everyone in this chamber – Democrats and Republicans – will have to sacrifice some worthy priorities for which there are no dollars. And that includes me.
But that does not mean we can afford to ignore our long-term challenges. I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity.
For history tells a different story. History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age. In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle-class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world.
In each case, government didn’t supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive.
So what happened to us, Mr O? Why is it that our manufacturing base is all but disappeared? Why we are no longer the high-tech leaders in innovation? Why have we become a “service-sector” country, as opposed to a manufacturing based society (this is precisely what made us what we are)? I know the answers, but it is a shame you won’t truly address the real rationale. I believe it is because you are covering up for the many Big Money folks in your cabinet. It does not go unnoticed by me that you are surrounded by Rhodes scholars who are primarily funded by the Rothschild banking cartel.
We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on the programs we don’t need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education.
It begins with energy.
We know the country that harnesses the power of clean, renewable energy will lead the 21st century. And yet, it is China that has launched the largest effort in history to make their economy energy efficient. We invented solar technology, but we’ve fallen behind countries like Germany and Japan in producing it. New plug-in hybrids roll off our assembly lines, but they will run on batteries made in Korea.
Well I do not accept a future where the jobs and industries of tomorrow take root beyond our borders – and I know you don’t either. It is time for America to lead again.
Turn back the bogus “Free Trade” pacts and you will see this happen. But your corporate shills won’t like this if you push too hard, so I have little faith it will occur.
Thanks to our recovery plan, we will double this nation’s supply of renewable energy in the next three years. We have also made the largest investment in basic research funding in American history – an investment that will spur not only new discoveries in energy, but breakthroughs in medicine, science, and technology.
We will soon lay down thousands of miles of power lines that can carry new energy to cities and towns across this country. And we will put Americans to work making our homes and buildings more efficient so that we can save billions of dollars on our energy bills.
But to truly transform our economy, protect our security, and save our planet from the ravages of climate change, we need to ultimately make clean, renewable energy the profitable kind of energy. So I ask this Congress to send me legislation that places a market-based cap on carbon pollution and drives the production of more renewable energy in America. And to support that innovation, we will invest fifteen billion dollars a year to develop technologies like wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks built right here in America.
The best idea in the entire speech.
As for our auto industry, everyone recognizes that years of bad decision-making and a global recession have pushed our automakers to the brink. We should not, and will not, protect them from their own bad practices. But we are committed to the goal of a re-tooled, re-imagined auto industry that can compete and win. Millions of jobs depend on it. Scores of communities depend on it. And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.
Yet you have not a single qualm about protecting the bankers from their “bad practices”. On the contrary, we will reward them with MY MONEY. Hypocrite!
None of this will come without cost, nor will it be easy. But this is America. We don’t do what’s easy. We do what is necessary to move this country forward.
For that same reason, we must also address the crushing cost of health care.
This is a cost that now causes a bankruptcy in America every thirty seconds. By the end of the year, it could cause 1.5 million Americans to lose their homes. In the last eight years, premiums have grown four times faster than wages. And in each of these years, one million more Americans have lost their health insurance. It is one of the major reasons why small businesses close their doors and corporations ship jobs overseas. And it’s one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of our budget.
Given these facts, we can no longer afford to put health care reform on hold.
Already, we have done more to advance the cause of health care reform in the last thirty days than we have in the last decade. When it was days old, this Congress passed a law to provide and protect health insurance for eleven million American children whose parents work full-time. Our recovery plan will invest in electronic health records and new technology that will reduce errors, bring down costs, ensure privacy, and save lives. It will launch a new effort to conquer a disease that has touched the life of nearly every American by seeking a cure for cancer in our time. And it makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that is one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control.
Amazing how the real answer never materializes in Mr Obama’s speeches. Single-payer, not-for-profit healthcare, eliminating the the middle man who adds a 31% burden to healthcare costs. Where was that little statement, Mr O? Not a mention of the real reason we, as Americans are suffering a slow, healthcare free death. If you can’t figure this out, you are not the genius everyone touts you to be. But, Mr Obama, I know you are quite brilliant. What this means is that you are covering for your Big Money coffers. If you want me to consider you “serious’ about healthcare reform, you better start talking about the 800 pound Gorilla sitting right between us, because I can’t hear you through him. Hypocrite!
This budget builds on these reforms. It includes an historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform – a down-payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American. It’s a commitment that’s paid for in part by efficiencies in our system that are long overdue. And it’s a step we must take if we hope to bring down our deficit in the years to come.
Now, there will be many different opinions and ideas about how to achieve reform, and that is why I’m bringing together businesses and workers, doctors and health care providers, Democrats and Republicans to begin work on this issue next week.
I suffer no illusions that this will be an easy process. It will be hard. But I also know that nearly a century after Teddy Roosevelt first called for reform, the cost of our health care has weighed down our economy and the conscience of our nation long enough. So let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.
I will be awaiting with baited breath, for I believe you are full of shit. It will be ineffectual if you don’t RADICALLY change it. We don’t want any more bandages that keep the Insurance Companies (and their favorite congressmen) afloat. We want to get rid of their vampiric blood-sucking.
If there is an industry that you are willing to let go (such as automotive), it should be health insurance. They are a far bigger drain than anything else and the automakers’ biggest debt burden has been covering health insurance for its workers.
Get your facts and act together if you want to truly improve America.
The third challenge we must address is the urgent need to expand the promise of education in America.
In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity – it is a pre-requisite.
Right now, three-quarters of the fastest-growing occupations require more than a high school diploma. And yet, just over half of our citizens have that level of education. We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish.
This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow. That is why it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education – from the day they are born to the day they begin a career.
All this says to me is that the Elite (those that own you and made it possible for me to call you, Mr President) has basically made their desires come true: a dumbed-down America. We don’t go to college because we can’t afford it. The rich knows this and so do you. There are a few that were born with silver spoons in their mouth (and don’t think for a second that I am fooled by your story of a Kenyan father, as if that made you poor). I know your history and realize that you, yourself hardly, if ever, suffered a hardship in your life financially. Really, Sheople, you must understand this. This is not some Abraham Lincoln “rags to riches” story. The man grew up with money and attended the finest private schools. His grandparents had deep connections to government.
Get a grip, Sheople, and realize just where the man came from to understand that he has little first-hand knowledge of poverty (he likely saw more poverty as a community organizer than he ever did growing up).
Already, we have made an historic investment in education through the economic recovery plan. We have dramatically expanded early childhood education and will continue to improve its quality, because we know that the most formative learning comes in those first years of life. We have made college affordable for nearly seven million more students. And we have provided the resources necessary to prevent painful cuts and teacher layoffs that would set back our children’s progress.
But we know that our schools don’t just need more resources. They need more reform. That is why this budget creates new incentives for teacher performance; pathways for advancement, and rewards for success. We’ll invest in innovative programs that are already helping schools meet high standards and close achievement gaps. And we will expand our commitment to charter schools.
It is our responsibility as lawmakers and educators to make this system work. But it is the responsibility of every citizen to participate in it. And so tonight, I ask every American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or career training. This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training or an apprenticeship. But whatever the training may be, every American will need to get more than a high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an option. It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country – and this country needs and values the talents of every American. That is why we will provide the support necessary for you to complete college and meet a new goal: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.
I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a higher education. And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and future generations, I ask this Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch as well as an American who has never stopped asking what he can do for his country – Senator Edward Kennedy.
These education policies will open the doors of opportunity for our children. But it is up to us to ensure they walk through them. In the end, there is no program or policy that can substitute for a mother or father who will attend those parent/teacher conferences, or help with homework after dinner, or turn off the TV, put away the video games, and read to their child. I speak to you not just as a President, but as a father when I say that responsibility for our children’s education must begin at home.
Forgive me if you using your children as an example doesn’t give me any warm and fuzzies. You know and the rest of the world knows that those two girls have nothing, whatsoever to worry about for the rest of their lives. Your wife does not have to work. Your kids have any and every need (and desire?) they want. Ask the poor folks here in SW TN if they feel like their kids stand the same kind of chance as yours.
There is, of course, another responsibility we have to our children. And that is the responsibility to ensure that we do not pass on to them a debt they cannot pay. With the deficit we inherited, the cost of the crisis we face, and the long-term challenges we must meet, it has never been more important to ensure that as our economy recovers, we do what it takes to bring this deficit down.
I’m proud that we passed the recovery plan free of earmarks, and I want to pass a budget next year that ensures that each dollar we spend reflects only our most important national priorities.
Yesterday, I held a fiscal summit where I pledged to cut the deficit in half by the end of my first term in office. My administration has also begun to go line by line through the federal budget in order to eliminate wasteful and ineffective programs. As you can imagine, this is a process that will take some time. But we’re starting with the biggest lines. We have already identified two trillion dollars in savings over the next decade.
In this budget, we will end education programs that don’t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don’t need them. We’ll eliminate the no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq, and reform our defense budget so that we’re not paying for Cold War-era weapons systems we don’t use. We will root out the waste, fraud, and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn’t make our seniors any healthier, and we will restore a sense of fairness and balance to our tax code by finally ending the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.
This, to me, is the most important and inspiring statement he made. All I can say is, “God speed and I hope you actually do these things”. I have ZERO faith, however, for I have witnessed his voting record which ran counter to virtually every thought issued here. I have also seen how the reTHUGlicans and Democants vote lockstep against these issues, which protects their campaign money. So, if you really want us to believe this, add a little verbiage about changing the election system and disallowing Corporate money into the system. Then, I may have a bit of confidence in what appears to be the very best statement in the entire speech)
In order to save our children from a future of debt, we will also end the tax breaks for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. But let me perfectly clear, because I know you’ll hear the same old claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people: if your family earns less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime. In fact, the recovery plan provides a tax cut – that’s right, a tax cut – for 95% of working families. And these checks are on the way.
To preserve our long-term fiscal health, we must also address the growing costs in Medicare and Social Security. Comprehensive health care reform is the best way to strengthen Medicare for years to come. And we must also begin a conversation on how to do the same for Social Security, while creating tax-free universal savings accounts for all Americans.
Finally, because we’re also suffering from a deficit of trust, I am committed to restoring a sense of honesty and accountability to our budget. That is why this budget looks ahead ten years and accounts for spending that was left out under the old rules – and for the first time, that includes the full cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. For seven years, we have been a nation at war. No longer will we hide its price.
We are now carefully reviewing our policies in both wars, and I will soon announce a way forward in Iraq that leaves Iraq to its people and responsibly ends this war.
Good. I’ll believe it when I see it. But I am not fooled by the word usage and intentional sleight of hand. Tell you what, the day we leave Iraq (I mean every damned American troop), we have no bases there and the power structure in this country can stop referring to Iraq’s oil as “our resources“, I may believe you. Until then, Mr O, its just more bullshit.
Here are the facts. The neocons and your predecessor led us into Iraq by lying to us. I don’t hear you doing a damned thing about that. When you do, you might have a modicum of credibility. Till then, you do NOT. On top of that, since they DID lie us into that war, everything surrounding it and 9/11 are suspect. yet, you and the leadership in Congress appear to not care about this. This doesn’t give me any warm and fuzzies either. As a matter of fact, every time someone does NOT address the obviousness of wrong-doing, it reinstates within me that you either don’t care or you are covering upo for them.
Get real, O. Real investigations. If you want to truly go down in history as a great president and not just another rip-off con man, you better open this investigation up. This may be very difficult since you have surrounded your self with those who discount as triviality my suspicions. And the way I see it, that is a coverup, not truth.
And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away.
Maybe you should pull all of our troops out of their lands, which is the very reason for the problem. Don’t flex your puny little muscle when the vast majority of Americans realize that we are there, fighting this trademarked “War on Terror” over bogus reasons and because our leadership lied to us. As for this particular man, I don’t just trust you because you are the new president (or because you can speak intelligently, or because you are black or for any reason). I don’t trust any of you because you all show your true selves in the ways that you vote. Your record, sir, is atrocious and lock-step with the previous evil that filled the space you are now filling.
As we meet here tonight, our men and women in uniform stand watch abroad and more are readying to deploy. To each and every one of them, and to the families who bear the quiet burden of their absence, Americans are united in sending one message: we honor your service, we are inspired by your sacrifice, and you have our unyielding support. To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and Marines. And to keep our sacred trust with those who serve, we will raise their pay, and give our veterans the expanded health care and benefits that they have earned.
So you want to cut the fluff out of the military while adding more? Let me make this as fucking simple as I can: Bring them home. I hope you can understand that the way to “cut” the bloat is to NOT ADD more, god dammit.
To overcome extremism, we must also be vigilant in upholding the values our troops defend – because there is no force in the world more powerful than the example of America. That is why I have ordered the closing of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and will seek swift and certain justice for captured terrorists – because living our values doesn’t make us weaker, it makes us safer and it makes us stronger. And that is why I can stand here tonight and say without exception or equivocation that the United States of America does not torture.
I don’t forget that easily, Mr Obama. We have had 8 years of lies and deceit (at a minimum). Just because you snookered so many of us, doesn’t mean you got us all. Say the facts. America DID torture and you haven’t done a damn thing to investigate and hold those evil bastards responsible. Until you do, your words are meaningless bullshit.
In words and deeds, we are showing the world that a new era of engagement has begun. For we know that America cannot meet the threats of this century alone, but the world cannot meet them without America. We cannot shun the negotiating table, nor ignore the foes or forces that could do us harm. We are instead called to move forward with the sense of confidence and candor that serious times demand.
Sorry, but as a citizen I am telling you that we cannot “move forward” without holding those evil bastards accountable for what they did to those people and to our integrity as a country. to “move forward” is simply to protect evil. You are either politically manipulating or complicit, if you let it go.
To seek progress toward a secure and lasting peace between Israel and her neighbors, we have appointed an envoy to sustain our effort. To meet the challenges of the 21st century – from terrorism to nuclear proliferation; from pandemic disease to cyber threats to crushing poverty – we will strengthen old alliances, forge new ones, and use all elements of our national power.
How ’bout stopping the shipments of weapons? How ’bout stopping Israel’s blockade and isolation of Gazan’s? How ’bout STOPPING the never-ending support of a ravenous, killing government such as Israel’s? How ’bout, just once, you explain how our weapons are killing all those innocent Gazans while Israel expands its territory by force? How ’bout not being a god damned hypocrite on this subject?
And to respond to an economic crisis that is global in scope, we are working with the nations of the G-20 to restore confidence in our financial system, avoid the possibility of escalating protectionism, and spur demand for American goods in markets across the globe. For the world depends on us to have a strong economy, just as our economy depends on the strength of the world’s.
As we stand at this crossroads of history, the eyes of all people in all nations are once again upon us – watching to see what we do with this moment; waiting for us to lead.
Those of us gathered here tonight have been called to govern in extraordinary times. It is a tremendous burden, but also a great privilege – one that has been entrusted to few generations of Americans. For in our hands lies the ability to shape our world for good or for ill.
I know that it is easy to lose sight of this truth – to become cynical and doubtful; consumed with the petty and the trivial.
Give me a reason to be anything else. I’m begging you. But I don’t consider my thoughts and suggestions trivial. I consider them prescient and obviously needed.
But in my life, I have also learned that hope is found in unlikely places; that inspiration often comes not from those with the most power or celebrity, but from the dreams and aspirations of Americans who are anything but ordinary.
I think about Leonard Abess, the bank president from Miami who reportedly cashed out of his company, took a $60 million bonus, and gave it out to all 399 people who worked for him, plus another 72 who used to work for him. He didn’t tell anyone, but when the local newspaper found out, he simply said, ”I knew some of these people since I was 7 years old. I didn’t feel right getting the money myself.”
I think about Greensburg, Kansas, a town that was completely destroyed by a tornado, but is being rebuilt by its residents as a global example of how clean energy can power an entire community – how it can bring jobs and businesses to a place where piles of bricks and rubble once lay. “The tragedy was terrible,” said one of the men who helped them rebuild. “But the folks here know that it also provided an incredible opportunity.”
And I think about Ty’Sheoma Bethea, the young girl from that school I visited in Dillon, South Carolina – a place where the ceilings leak, the paint peels off the walls, and they have to stop teaching six times a day because the train barrels by their classroom. She has been told that her school is hopeless, but the other day after class she went to the public library and typed up a letter to the people sitting in this room. She even asked her principal for the money to buy a stamp. The letter asks us for help, and says, “We are just students trying to become lawyers, doctors, congressmen like yourself and one day president, so we can make a change to not just the state of South Carolina but also the world. We are not quitters.”
We are not quitters.
That’s right. I am not a quitter, hence why I am not cutting you any slack. If you want to be the Savior designate. Act like it. Let your actions speak louder than your rhetoric. Let us SEE change and hope in action, not the fluffy bullshit.
These words and these stories tell us something about the spirit of the people who sent us here. They tell us that even in the most trying times, amid the most difficult circumstances, there is a generosity, a resilience, a decency, and a determination that perseveres; a willingness to take responsibility for our future and for posterity.
Their resolve must be our inspiration. Their concerns must be our cause. And we must show them and all our people that we are equal to the task before us.
I know that we haven’t agreed on every issue thus far, and there are surely times in the future when we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the coming months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground.
And if we do – if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, “something worthy to be remembered.” Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
I bet that 30 years from now, if we still exist, our children and grandchildren will be asking, “How in the hell could you have allowed these vicious, thieving and murderous bastards do what they did? How could we not have stopped them before they ruined America.
For the fact is, our “leaders” have brought us to the edge of disaster. Now, simply beause we have another pre-chosen “leader” who tries to give us hope for change, many of us have come to the realization that you are all (with very FEW excepetions) full of shit.
BuelahMan
Lynda
kelsosnuts
You rednecks still proud of your Corporately appointed president? Still going to defend him even when the very base promiselie he made to get you gullible sheople to elect him is now a historical side note? Of course John McCain would do the same shit, he just has no gravitas to pull off the lie, as did Mr Obama. But this ain’t about them anymore, is it? This is about us rednecks who are apparently too stupid to realize that both of the corporately funded parties don’t give a rat’s ass about us (unless, somehow, it is politically expedient). But nowadays, their blatant lies and deceit isn’t even really hidden. They wore your asses out with numbnuts “W” and gave you Mr Suave to give you the illusion of sanity, but guess what… its the same old, same old when it comes to military policy (and quite a few other policies endearing to their Masters).
hardships here, within our borders, or that “it is because of the military we owe our freedoms” (as if this justifies spending any and every amount they ask for), then you are a reckless (and clueless) person. We need our military to defend us, not to secure an energy source we are stealing from another country or to prop up a failed Cold War mentality. We don’t need many of those bases and untold amounts of money could be used here, in America, where we need it.
