SOTU speech

It's always interesting to see how people spin political speeches. One party will blast the POTUS and criticize every word. The other party will point out how he resonated with the American public and will accomplish all of his tremendous plans. The truth is somewhere, but I don't always see it. I listen to the speeches through the coloring of my life and my expectations of the role of government and if I like the POTUS.

I don't care for lies, whichever party is spewing them. I like truth, even if it's blunt and bold. What I don't understand is why a President would blast the Supreme Court in this speech. I don't understand why he would continue to attack the banking business, which only responded to the demands of Congress to create loan products that would allow more people to afford mortgages.

I don't understand why this President would talk about jobs creation and common sense approaches to spending now, when he has had a year to do it. Fine, get after it, but don't make it sound like a bold, new idea.

The US is in a difficult place- our standard of living is remarkable, but how do we maintain what we think is our right? We need jobs, but we refuse to work for wages that keep our products at a competitive price. We want to vilify businesses, but we desperately need them to create jobs. We want small businesses to thrive, but we hammer them with so much regulation that it's overwhelming and expensive, not to mention scary.

America, we are at a crossroads. For years we were smacked because we didn't save enough. Now we are being told that we need to consume. What's the right answer? What does the government want from us?

I think we first need to realize that the government really doesn't exist - the citizens exist. We pay taxes, we vote for officials, we have the control. Let's exercise this control and demand accountability from our legislators at all levels of government. Read proposed legislation and comment on it. Think about how government really affects your life. Then think about your day and how you could have lived it better - and do it tomorrow.