This is the Email sent to me from Organizing for America/President Barack Obama. I am posting it today because it provides a good summary of the main points of his State of the Union address to Congress Tuesday night , the 25th. I have omitted any interactive elements.
Carol -- Tonight I addressed the American people on the future we face together. Though at times it may seem uncertain, it is a future that is ours to decide, ours to define, and ours to win. I know we will. Because, after the worst recession in decades, we see an economy growing again. Because, after two years of job losses, we've added private-sector jobs for 12 straight months -- more than 1 million in all. Because, time after time, when our resolve has been tested, we, as a nation, have always prevailed. Overcoming the challenges we face today requires a new vision for tomorrow. We will move forward together, or not at all -- for the challenges we face are bigger than party, and bigger than politics. Yet the story of America is this: We do big things. Just as the progress of the past two years would not have been possible without your hard work, we will not realize the agenda I described tonight without you. So as we continue this great mission together, and we set out the plans for how far we can go, I need to know that you are ready to work side by side with me once more. The last two years have been marked by unprecedented reforms and historic progress. But there is much more work to do. Moving forward, America's economic growth at home is inextricably connected to our competitiveness in the global community. The more products American companies can export, the more jobs we can create at home. This vision for the future starts with innovation, tapping into the creativity and imagination of our people to create the jobs and industries of the future. Instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's. It's why I challenged Congress to join me in setting a new goal: By 2035, 80 percent of America's electricity will come from clean energy sources. It means leading the world in educating our kids, giving each of our children the best opportunity to succeed and preparing them for the jobs of tomorrow. We must build a 21st century infrastructure for our country, putting millions of Americans to work rebuilding roads and bridges and expanding high-speed Internet and high-speed rail. We must reform government, making it leaner, smarter, and more transparent. And we must take responsibility for our shared debt, reining in our long-term deficit so we can afford the investments we need to move our country forward. That is the vision I laid out tonight. That is how we win the future. It is going to take a lot of work -- but I have no doubt we are up to the task. Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we'd beat them to the moon. The science wasn't there yet. NASA didn't even exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets. We unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs. This is our generation's Sputnik moment. Please stand together with me. It is because of each of you, who define the will of a people, that the state of our union is strong in the face of tough challenges. You are the reason our future is still bright in the face of deep uncertainty. And you are the reason I believe that future is ours to win. Thank you, Barack |
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2 comments:
As with most things in life it is what the perceiver makes of what he or she perceives. In the interest of balance, I see the side of it that makes me want to believe it so and then the other side as illustrated by the Washington Post series "Top Secret America" by Dana Priest that leads me to think in something altogether different and decidedly less encoraging.
I think Obama knows this all too well and so in time we'll see if he is just another in the line of "presidents" who do window displays or if he will open the doors for real.
Seems to me he also knows the personal consequences of opening doors some don't want open. We shall see.
Daniel
http://sitesetis.com/nowhereforum
Daniel, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I, too read Priest's WaPo series. I think our president is often of two minds when it comes to transparency. He is a definite improvement in that area, but still leaves much to be desired as a protector of the Fourth Amendment.
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