"Deficit reduction alone is not an economic plan."
Last night the President laid out a compelling & realistic vision for our country.

With good middle class jobs and growing our economy as our guiding star, his plans included:
Attracting more jobs to America, giving Americans skills for these jobs, and paying decent wages; increasing the federal minimum wage to $9 by the end of 2015; Challenges for high schools to meet demands of a high-tech economy; Universal access to preschool; Addressing our deficit reduction target - raising revenues by getting rid of tax loopholes and deductions as leaders from both aisles have suggested; Bipartisan, comprehensive tax reform that encourages job creation & helps reduce the deficit; Medicare and Healthcare savings; Putting an end to politically-manufactured crises; Broad individual and corporate tax reforms; Turning abandoned communities into global centers of high-tech jobs; Generating more clean energy and pursuing a bipartisan, market-based solution to climate change; Creating an Energy Security Trust; Reducing energy wasted in homes and businesses; A "Fix-It-First" program with folks working on our urgent repairs, such as 70K structurally deficient bridges; $50 billion in infrastructure spending; Detailing comprehensive immigration reform; Smart government; Working with private businesses on clean energy and manufacturing - a Partnership to Rebuild America; Refinancing at low rates for responsible homeowners; Commonsense gun law reform to reduce violence; Non-partisan commission to remedy the voting process; Saluting the troops and confirming plans for their return home.

Imminently doable.

Marco Rubio [the latest person to give a rebuttal to the SOTU address that will never be President] told several tall tales last night about:
-Raising taxes
-Climate change
-Medicare funding
-Obamacare killing jobs
-Obamacare causing people to lose their coverage

Check Politico.com for a fact check of Rubio's rebuttal speech.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/marco-rubio-response-fact-check-87565.html?hp=r3

A Thriving Middle Class

One line in the SOTU that particularly caught my eye was when the president said it was our generation's task to "reignite the true engine of America's economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class." Good grief, not only does this man get it wrong yet again, but he has the audacity to cloak himself in the mantle of champion of a segment of Americans who have seen their economic prospects greatly diminished on his watch. Time to set him straight.

There is no consumption in our economy without production – you can't buy a car or an iPhone unless someone builds one first. That means the middle class can't thrive unless entrepreneurs and investors pool their capital to form productive enterprises that create goods and services – and the jobs needed to produce them. So the spark that starts the engine of economic growth is private sector investment, and the middle class buying power fueled by that investment comes only later. What this president and his left wing pals just don't get is that a thriving middle class is a CONSEQUENCE of a growing economy, not the cause of it.

Unfortunately, economic growth during the Obama regime has been pathetic and that's why the middle class has not thrived. Indeed, this president has presided over more poverty, dependency and chronic unemployement than ever before in our history. Lost jobs, lower wages, surging energy costs, millions leaving the work force, higher health insurance premiums, record numbers on food stamps and disability – these are the pillars of Obama's economic legacy. And the middle class has been a sea of despair on Obama's watch, not a cog in our economic growth machine.

The left thinks we measure our compassion for these folks by the amount we spend on government programs intended to "help" them. And the president's solution for fixing this problem is for the government to tax and spend even more than it does now. But we've been there done that, and there is no rational expectation that doing that same sort of thing yet again will improve upon previous dismal results. A better measure of our compassion would be how many people we help to rise out of their difficult circumstances, a rise that can best be accomplished by a prosperous economy driven by private investment. That approach isn't throwing folks under the bus as the left would have us believe, it's giving them the opportunity to get on the bus in the first place.

That's why enabling dependency and adding endlessly to the debt is not compassionate. It is both morally and fiscally destructive not just to the middle class, but to every American alive today.

A Very Good State of the Union Address!

Thank You Mr. President and 4 more for 44!!!

What Barry would have said in the opening to the SOTU if
someone had given him a shot of truth serum:

“The state of our union is bankrupt. America has racked up
$16 trillion in debt, with no end of massive annual deficits in the foreseeable
future adding to that amount every day. That amounts to around 100% of America’s
annual GDP and is in the range where economists consider it to be approaching a
dangerously high Greece-like level. The economy is limping along at a snail’s
pace, and unemployment, which is still very high by historical standards, would
be much higher if millions of people hadn’t given up all hope of ever finding a
new job and dropped out of the workforce. My appointed Trustees of Medicare
have issued annual reports saying the “trust” fund will not have enough money
to pay its obligations in full in the very near future. The 2012 report predicted that will happen in 2023. State and local governments throughout to country have budgets they can’t afford, and woefully underfunded pension plans. Some of the worst cases have caused cities in that bluest of
blue states, California, to file for bankruptcy.”

Barry, you’re doin’ a heck of a job.

That was one hell of an interesting State of the Union speech. It wasn't about the next year or two, or even the balance of President Obama's term. That was a road map for decades to come. The President's course moves back toward the center after an almost continuous tack to the right for more than three decades.

In any number of contentious areas, President Obama took some surprisingly firm stands. He all but demanded action on gun violence. Do as you will, he said, but stop hiding your position. Vote. Let us know whether you agree with the vast majority of Americans on the issue of gun violence or whether you are a tool of the gun industry and the N.R.A.

Climate change is real. The weave in the fabric of climate change includes nasty old regulations. The choice is stark in this area, and it was part of a recurring theme. Increase pollutants in the air, water, and soil and profits roll in. Drive pollution down and we have a healthier citizenry and planet.

Climate change will drive education and it is here President Obama makes a wrong turn. Yes, education is the key to cleaner, smarter energy production, storage, and transmission, but simply loading up colleges with students is not the answer. We have more than enough unemployed workers who hold degrees in Comparative Albanian Literature. We must target the sciences. This is a national goal and we have tough choices to make. We have to understand college is not where you go to get a worthless degree so you can bolster your self-esteem.

The President's focus on voting rights is more important than ever. Our right to vote has been expanded since the country was founded, but not without a constant struggle. We take for granted our right to vote. Yet, in Republican-controlled state houses across the country voting rights are under attack. That has to stop.

The fix-it first idea is grand. The kick-the-can-down-the-road phrase is getting monotonous. How about we kick obstructionists to the curb? Our infrastructure is in terrible trouble. If it continues to disintegrate, our dams will no longer produce power and provide flood control. Bridges will not connect transportation hubs and move goods efficiently. Roads will crumble. This is far more than a "pay me now or pay me later" proposition. At some point, repair costs will be prohibitive.

It would have been nice to hear more about this terrible predator drone and hellfire missile program. However, that is going to play out over a number of years as we begin to realize that terrorism is not a military problem, but a police problem. There is not, and probably never will be, a nice clean answer to the threat of terrorism.

The Rubio response was embarrassing; a rehash of Republican bromides that have no foundation in reality. Only the most ignorant believe that government caused the housing crash. Only the most ignorant fall for the "government is evil" nonsense. Yet that is his contention, even as he admits he could not have gone to college, and his parents would not have received medical attention without government assistance.

The President offers a realistic vision that we can achieve IF we work together. The Republican answer is a continuing redistribution of wealth the already filthy rich.

And who can forget?

THE PRESIDENT: "Hadiya's parents, Nate and Cleo, are in this chamber tonight, along with more than two dozen Americans whose lives have been torn apart by gun violence. They deserve a vote.
(APPLAUSE)
They deserve a vote.
(APPLAUSE)
They deserve a vote.
(APPLAUSE)
Gabby Giffords deserves a vote.
(APPLAUSE)
The families of Newtown deserve a vote.
(APPLAUSE)
The families of Aurora deserve a vote.
(APPLAUSE)
The families of Oak Creek, and Tucson, and Blacksburg, and the countless other communities ripped open by gun violence, they deserve a simple vote.
(APPLAUSE)
They deserve -- they deserve a simple vote.
Our actions will not prevent every senseless act of violence in this country. In fact, no laws, no initiatives, no administrative acts will perfectly solve all of the challenges I've outlined tonight. But we were never sent here to be perfect. We were sent here to make what difference we can -- to secure this nation, expand opportunity, uphold our ideals through the hard, often frustrating, but absolutely necessary work of self-government."

I for one, will not forget the 2013 State of the Union.

The president wants to shape a “smarter government” — one with new investments in science and innovation, with a rising minimum wage, with tax reform that eliminates loopholes and deductions
for what the president labeled “the well-off and well-connected.”

President Obama repeated his campaign themes of reinforcing the middle class, made an urgent case for a more pragmatic version of populism, one that emphasizes economic prosperity as the cornerstone of a fair society.

President Obama noted that the time to rebuild is now.

The “Fix-It-First” program that Obama outlined to put people to work on “urgent repairs,” such as structurally deficient bridges, bore echoes of President Bill Clinton’s call in his 1999 State of the Union address to “save Social Security first.” Clinton’s was an effective line, one that stopped — at least until President George W. Bush took office two years later — a Republican drive to use the budget surplus to cut taxes.

It happened in my lifetime and I can hardly believe it.

What good are we as a nation if the President of the United States doesn’t speak about voter suppression in his State of the Union speech? Well he did, eloquently and from his heart. President Obama told us he will not stand for voter suppression. He was in effect saying - none of us should stand for voter
suppression.

So many times over the years growing up we saw people on tv speak about a time in their lives when they weren’t allowed to vote. If they WERE allowed to vote, it was made quite difficult for them. Inhumane treatment comes to mind. At least that's we thought growing up. How could people be treated like this?

And so last night we saw a 102 year old woman who voted on election day. That’s it. Her story was that she walked out of the voting booth with an “I Voted” sticker. That simple act got her an invitation to the State of the Union speech.

But of course we all know it wasn’t quite that simple.

Gingerbread Mama the other night spoke about watching a program on CSPAN about the Freedom Riders from the 1960’s. President Obama spoke last night about two attorneys from two different parties working to fix our voting system.

I hope he expands this. I hope he knows that this is a fight we all need to fight, just as what happened in the 1960’s when we the people stood up to the status quo.

Generations before us refused to back down. It’s unfathomable that this issue is once again before us in this The United States of America.

Democrats and Republicans. We must not allow voter suppression to continue. And this fight we must do for Miss Desiline Victor and all those like her.

I for one, will not forget the 2013 State of the Union.

Backhouse, Barack Obama is the perfect president for this moment in time. I too will never forget last night's speech.

I for one, will not forget the 2013 State of the Union.

Me either Backhouse!

We watched history in the making...

They deserve a vote...

Another speech, half listened with intent, and half listened with interest. This president is ambitious, and working for the middle class, I am so glad that he was reelected as I cannot see how Mitt the unfit could have possibly cared about me or those like me. I could actually see Social Security and Medicare biting the dust as Boner and company would like to see. In the rebuttal, Rubio made mention of Social Security "changes" that would not effect "current Security Security recipients" which is cover words for screw the future social security people. This isn't good for the future of this country. Social Security has been around a long time only to be screwed up by republicans and specifically a future candidate. As I see it we must keep the promise given to us by these wise men so long ago and look out for the future Social Security recipient's. We must not raise the retirement age, but rather raise the cap. It is time for the pendulum to swing back toward the center, this is not the only reason the far right and the treasonous tea party needs to be defeated for this reason.

The most memorable of GW Bush's 'state of the union' - about an 'axis of evil' ...

hahahahahahahahhaha

Just when I start to think President Obama is merely human, and perhaps I over-idealize him, the Republicans make a speech that is full of untruths (Fannie Mae caused the financial crisis? Not according to nonpartisan investigators), delivered by a sub par politician, and I think "holy cr--! Maybe Obama IS the messiah!"

The Republican Party needs to dig deep for some GD competence in their candidates. Because Rubio ain't it.

Perfectly stated from Mr. Benen:

But while it was Rubio's dry mouth that will be remembered, I hope the political world won't completely overlook the speech itself, because the far-right senator's remarks helped prove that he's quite literally not ready for prime time, for reasons that have nothing to do with his hard-to-watch presentation.

By any sensible measure, Rubio's entire pitch was incoherent gibberish. He thinks President Obama is hostile to free enterprise and wants to increase the deficit, neither of which makes any sense. Rubio thinks the housing crisis was caused by big government, which is simply idiotic. Rubio celebrates his family's history of dependence on government social programs like student loans and Medicare, while articulating a policy agenda that guts government social programs like student loans and Medicare.

Forget ideology, subjectivity, and areas of opinion -- the fact is Marco Rubio's speech was filled with a series of claims with no meaningful connection to reality. The senator even thinks combating the climate crisis means asking government to "control the weather," which is just genuinely dumb.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_nv/more/section/archive?author=steve-benen

Bill in Fairfax writes:

Lost jobs, lower wages, surging energy costs, millions leaving the work force, higher health insurance premiums, record numbers on food stamps and disability

All thanks to the Republicans who stood around marveling while Wall Street crashed the economy. Bill forgets who put us in the economic crisis.

On a different note. Did anyone hear specifics from Rubio on HOW they would grow the middle class? Notice he mentioned nothing of lack of mobility or of income inequality weighing down the poor and middle classes? He offered the same old tired BS. Nothing more, nothing less. When will they wake up?

This State of the Union will go down in history as the best ever!!!

Thank you Fairfax Bill. In a nutshell, he shows anyone with a scintilla of sense why Republicans and right-wingers cannot be trusted to run the country. He writes:

"There is no consumption in our economy without production – you can't buy a car or an iPhone unless someone builds one first."

He neither understands "Supply and Demand" nor "Cause and effect". No one pools capital and builds something or offers a service unless there is a demand for that product or service. Demand comes first. Demand is the cause, not the effect.

The ongoing transfer of wealth to the filthy rich - the top 1% - takes spendable cash from the pockets of the very people who will consume. The middle class is being reduced. Every chart, every statistic shows that to be the case. How in hell do you demand goods and services when you have no money?

This is the same Fairfax Bill who constantly snivels about a high unemployment rate. How in the name of economic reality does he expect people to be put to work when there is no demand for their products and services?

He's a right-winger. That's how.

Poor Boehner, he looked like he was eating a sh!t sandwich. Gabby Giffords looked great. Ted Poopy Pants looked like a crazy homeless derelict. The President was great and kept me riveted to the TV.

go to factchecker to see what was truth, and what was lies in last night speeches...

Seems Marco Rubio had a bout of "lying dry mouth syndrome". Wonder how much he got paid from Nestle' to endorse their product.

Great speech by President Obama, filled with common sense ideas to move America forward, and well delivered as well.

Meanwhile the Rubio speech was nothing but the same leftover hash in a new bowl. Much of it was radical, like insisting that President Obama doesn't believe in the free market. Especially egregious was his claim that too much government crashed the economy in 2007-08 when it's clear the banksters stole from the rest of us without landing in jail because of the GOPTP deregulatory religion.

Mr. Rubio is many things, but "moderate" or "new" are not among them. He continues the theme that Conservatives don't need better policies, just a better ad campaign. That's just sad.

Bill, Fairfax VA

What this president and his left wing pals just don't get is that a thriving middle class is a CONSEQUENCE of a growing economy, not the cause of it.

That can be spun to ... a thriving economy is the consequence of a growing middle class. Actually they work in tandem in a modern economy.

WOW! Did the President cover ALL his wants, needs and options for our Country last night? I think so. The Republicans must be overwhelmed with all the proposels he threw out last night. That should keep them busy and confused as how they plan on blocking everything. Good tactic.

And Rubio's speech last night. With the Water Bottle it reminded me of a sketch you'd see on SNL (Saturday Night Live). And this guy wants to be President in 2016? I don't think so.

BCWC -- You lost Bill at Modern.

this place is like a ghost town this morning!

They're all still in shock mode. They'll show up as soon as they get some talking points from Faux News!

WOW!

With the exception of Mr. Broccoli Bill & the Idiot from Albany, this place is like a ghost town this morning!

Give em a break Feisty. Just how many talking points did Rubio supply that Rand further soiled? Dance of the Diapers.

Obama LIES to the American public AGAIN!!!...FACT CHECKED

• The president claimed that "both parties have worked together to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion." But that's only an estimate of deficit reduction through fiscal year 2022, and it would be lower if the White House used a different starting point.
• .
• Obama touted the growth of 500,000 manufacturing jobs over the past three years, but there has been a net loss of 600,000 manufacturing jobs since he took office. The recent growth also has stalled since July 2012.
• .
• He claimed that "we have doubled the distance our cars will go on a gallon of gas." Actual mileage is improving, but Obama's "doubled" claim refers to a desired miles-per-gallon average for model year 2025.
• .
• Obama said the Affordable Care Act "is helping to slow the growth of health care costs." It may be helping, but the slower growth for health care spending began in 2009, before the law was enacted, and is due at least partly to the down economy.

The president also made an exaggerated claim of bipartisanship. He said that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney agreed with him that the minimum wage should be tied to the cost of living. But Romney backed off that view during the campaign.

Bill, Fairfax --

Good grief, not only does this man get it wrong yet again, but he has the audacity to cloak himself in the mantle of champion of a segment of Americans who have seen their economic prospects greatly diminished on his watch.

Now THAT is the statement of someone who doesn't get it. The American middle class has been stagnant to falling for 3 decades. Well before Barack Obama became President a majority of Americans were in fear that our children will not live as well as their parents. President Obama must be a very powerful man indeed to have created such an outcome from the time he graduated High School.

Yes, the middle class is hurting...thanks to the failed trickle down, deregulatory religion of the Republican Party and the Conservative Movement.

dilusional

There is no consumption in our economy without production

And that folks, is the miserable misunderstanding of a conservative. They believe build it, and the consumer will come. Wrong, wrong, and wrong again. Consumers are a crafty lot, they build to suit their needs. It is business that comes along and capitalizes on what consumers have built. Did business create intermittent wipers on our cars. No, it was someone tired of turning the wiper on and off repeatedly. Did business invent the automobile? No, it was a consumer tinkering with adding a motor to a bicycle. Did business invent food for consumption. Nah, food was there. Consumption will always exist. Production is simply a means of mass production, not a requirement of existence. iTunes, iPod - we don't need them. They are simply useless mass produced products that provide a gateway to absorb money on the back of something humans enjoy, that of listening to music.

mojotech,

From Jan 2001 thru Jan 2009 there was a loss of 6.5 million Manufacturing jobs. Over 5 million jobs were lost before the recession even started

Johntho -- If you listen closely when Republicans talk about their "plans" for Medicare and SS, they say things like it won't impact today's seniors.

These same people are the ones who have refused to raise the tax to pay for Medicare for decades now. Healthcare costs have increased substantially over the decades and they continued to ignore the math. Their plan was to starve the program so it was no longer viable.

What is it in these guys like Rubio that makes the media and republicans think their ready for prime time? I could see a year ago when he forgot a page of his speech and stumbled through the whole speech, he was not ready for prime time. Keep putting Rubio out as your latest republican savior GOP. He's worse than Romney at this point.

Hey Dennis,

From Jan 2001 thru Jan 2009 there was a loss of 6.5 million Manufacturing jobs.

SO WHAT?...Go ahead and blame Bush...That doesn't diminish the fact that OBAMA IS A LIAR!!!

Rubio’s speech was almost a rehash of almost everything we heard from Romney and the GOP in 2012. He accused Obama of believing that the free enterprise system is the source of America’s problems (when the president praised it in his State of the Union); he said that Obama wants to grow the size of the government; and he attacked the health-care law. All of those messages had hundreds of millions of dollars behind them in the 2012 presidential election, and Republicans got just 47% of the vote in the presidential election.

Same song, second verse.

The GOP puppet masters have re-programmed the messenger in a Latino version (Romney must be green with envy!) but the same rhetoric that made the GOP the Stupid Party... STILL makes the GOP the Stupid Party.

Carry on losing, GOPers.

The RWNJ's sure were full of themselves yesterday...

They ran out of material yesterday. There is only so many times than can type 'stupid liberal' and 'nasty red head' before the trolling meter sends an alert to their paymasters and the deductions begin from their paychecks for redundancy.

mojotech,

During his first year while the recession was still ongoing we lost another 1 million manufacturing jobs but since that low at the end of the recession we have added 500,000 new manufacturing jobs

Another great speech from a truly great president. It's really a crying shame the GOP doesn't have someone of that caliber. Rubio? Gimme a break.

Speaking of which....where is the usual crowd of whackadoodles this morning?

Oh well, good job Mr. President, you continue to make me proud to be an American.

Judging by the responses here (pro and con), the President delivered for his constituency far more than in his previous SOTU's. He looked relaxed, self assured, comfortable, delivering what was a compliment to his inaugural address. Unlike his first term, the President laid out an overview of his governing philosophy going forward, and in doing so clearly defined his vision for the future. There is a different vibe from this President, who even his staunchest supporters felt would 'go small" in his 2nd term.

So the "Curse of Bobby Jindal" didn't obliterate Sen. Rubio, but the lack of new ideas and the dour tone were overshadowed by his parched throat, which may or may not be a metaphor...

I didn't see Sen Paul's response to the response (which puts me in the majority) but I am told he made it through without staring at the wrong camera.

Bottom line;

The President has the upper hand, the Bully Pulpit, and appears to be prepared to use it to promote his progressive (Liberal) populist agenda. His opponents are still trying to figure out how to deal with...

Obama, 2.0

On Yahoo this morning. "Retail Sales slow as taxes kick in"

So much for the left mantra that raising taxes improves an economy.

Obama made it abundantly clear that his vision is for a bigger government. Government is the Obama answer for everything. So we need more spending, but it won't add so much as a dime to the deficit. Yeah right, probably the most laughable line of the evening. We need higher taxes, because as Nancy Pelosi says it is a false argument to say Washington has a spending problem. No talk of compromise, and no talk of balancing the budget. So I guess we should all just expect that Obama is going to continue to play the blame game and make up excuses for why he fails. Leadership is just a word totally foreign to Obama. The Obama threats of executive actions made that fact undeniable. Since liberals love the blame and excuse game, the Obama legacy will be one of division, hatred, and a nation teetering on the precipice of financial collapse.

Lets try that again. DELUSIONAL,What coutry was he talking about. The one with a backward GDP quarter, the one with a growing unemployment number, the one with a shrinking middle-class. Median middle-class income DOWN $4,500.00 under President Hopium. Obamacare getting ready to crush that number even lower. What did he say that would help the middle-class get more jobs?

A 'smarter government' - wow! What a concept.

And for starters, this 'smart government' wants to raise minimum wage. What a grand concept! Let's force employers to lay off employees because they have to pay them more. Then, raise prices to counter the effects of alarger payroll tab. Yes, watch inflation rise so people can have more money in their pockets. Now that's 'smart'!

What a sham of a speech. More smoke & mirrors hype, painting pretty pictures, but nothing that will work in the real world here. Sad.

National debt: $16.519 trillion and rising fast.

Another lie filled speech as expected. And the sheep follow to slaughter.

And Dubya always told the TRUTH? Weapons of mass destruction ring a bell?

Bush listened to his advisers on wmd, he didnt purposely lie about it

Bush didnt stand up in front of the country and lie to the American people by spinning information and purposely using MISLEADING information

But once again you cant be honest with yourself so you pass blame onto Bush instead of putting the blame for anything on Obama

Dennis

Bush inherited an economy that was on the decline from Clinton. Then was gifted 911 which cost another recovery delay. From 2003 - 2008 there was a net gain (key word Net) of 6 1/2 million jobs clearly from policies he proposed. 2008 job losses was the results of another policy failure dating back to 1977 & 1999.

Who was saying all during the Bush administration that there was nothing wrong with the way mortgages were being done and fought any efforts to deal with the problems? DEMOCRATS.

Then who said the republicans weren't saying anything about the problems? DEMOCRATS.

The real thieves and liars are in control of the Senate and the White House!

They're all here now.

After intensely watching taped re-runs of their favorite Faux News shows the RWNJs have decided to join in.

Dennis said,

"Marco Rubio [the latest person to give a rebuttal to the SOTU address that will never be President] told several tall tales last night about:"
"-Obamacare causing people to lose their coverage"

Might want to read this from an article...

CBO: Under Obamacare 7 million to lose employer-provided health insurance

By: Howard Portnoy

The nonpartisan government agency estimates that 7 million Americans will lose their employer-provided health insurance once the law becomes fully implemented.

Dennis, Rubio didn't lie but you did and this proves you are another low information voter!!

But once again you cant be honest with yourself so you pass blame onto Bush instead of putting the blame for anything on Obama

Obama is perfect. Nuff said

I like to think of myself as progressive. But, I am so GREEN I can not be trusted in the voting booth.

Thank you mister president, keep the faith.

They're all here now.

The RNC talking points e-mail was late, along with their daily dose of hate-or-aide...

*yawn*

Bush didnt stand up in front of the country and lie to the American people by spinning information and purposely using MISLEADING information

This one wins the most hilarious comment so far...

Great speech Mr. President!

At least, now the TeaPeople constituents back home got a glimpse of the initiatives you want addressed by Congress.

Will the TeaPeople in Congress go home (they're always at home or somewhere) and tell the folks that they do not deserve $9.00 ph.....How will that turn into a negative?...Oh, wait, I know....those job-creators can't afford to pay a living wage!

Thank you President Obama!

That amounts to around 100% of America’s
annual GDP and is in the range where economists consider it to be approaching a
dangerously high Greece-like level.

Oh the clueless Albanian, warning of us of Greece. He just loves his old stories of the fall of Rome, the fall of Greece, the fall of the Brits, the fall of the Spanish empires. The idiot simply doesn't get the fall of Greece was almost 2000 years ago, not last month. Dangerous Greek like levels - really, try Japan. They outpace the U.S. in GDP percentages, and have done for quite some time. Has Japan fallen in the last decade? Nah, they continue to thrive. How could that be, asks the Albanian? It is belief in their economic system, that by the way, includes pensions, medical insurance, and a host of other services required to maintain a modern civilization.

Last night Obama and the First Lady used the State of the Union spotlight to pay tribute to an innocent teenage girl shot and killed by Chicago gang thugs. On Friday, Obama will travel to the Windy City to decry violence and crusade for more gun laws in the town with the strictest gun laws and bloodiest gun-related death tolls in America.

Does the White House really want to open up a national conversation about the state of Chicago? Ok, let’s talk.

Obama, his wife, his campaign strategists, his closest cronies, and his biggest bundlers all hail from Chicago. Senior adviser and former Chicago real estate mogul/city planning commissioner Valerie Jarrett and her old boss, Richard Daley, presided over a massive “Plan for Transformation” in the mid-1990s to rescue taxpayer-subsidized public housing from its bloody hellhole. How’d that work out for you, Chicago?

Answer: This social justice experiment failed miserably. A Chicago Tribune investigation found that after Daley/Jarrett dumped nearly $500 million of federal funding into crime-ridden housing projects, the housing complexes (including the infamous Altgeld-Murray homes) remained dangerous, drug-infested, racially segregated ghettos. Altgeld is a long-troubled public housing complex on Chicago’s SouthSide where youth violence has proven immune to “community organizing” solutions and the grand redevelopment schemes championed by Obama and company.

Obama does nothing for America, but he sure puts a lot of money into his crony's pockets! Legal pickpocketing from taxpayers!

As David Walker has already pointed out, Bill from Fairfax is as wrong on Economics as he was on Romney's chances to win the presidency ("Romney will win, and win decisively").

"There is no consumption in our economy without production – you can't buy a car or an iPhone unless someone builds one first."

The lagging economy is not due to a lack of incentives for investors or entrepeneurs, in fact even with the recent legislation taxes on both earned income and capital gains are near historic lows.

The lagging economy is not due to lack of capital, it is how the capital is being used. Investors and investment managers are so enamored with complex financial instruments that yield potentially higher returns and are taxed at lower rates that they don't invest in "brick and mortar" companies or support entrepenuerial endeavors.

This has everything to do with a complex tax code that is designed to favor the wealthy, and rewards speculation more than it does effort.

As any entry-level economics student can tell you, research and development may lead to new products or features that increase or create demand but demand is what drives capital investments and spurs job creation.

The demand for durable goods like appliances, automobiles, and furniture are fueled by a thriving middle-class that has discretionary income.

Henry Ford knew this decades ago, when he paid his employees much more than the average wage so that they could become not just employees but also consumers of his products. President Eisenhower knew this when he raised marginal tax rates and invested heavily in national infrastructure. John D. Rockefeller knew this when he said "I believe it is my duty to make money...and to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man."

Why is this so difficult for the current crop of Republicans to understand?

in the range where economists consider it to be approaching a
dangerously high Greece-like level.

Oh, baloney. If you're going to spew out conservative talk radio BS, go ahead, but please don't invoke or even involve economists. Number one, we're nowhere near Greece. For starters, Greece doesn't print their own money, we do. Japan's debt is about 200% of their GDP and they're not even approaching a "debt crisis."

The economy is limping along at a snail’s
pace, and unemployment, which is still very high by historical standards, would
be much higher if millions of people hadn’t given up all hope of ever finding a
new job and dropped out of the workforce.

Have you been asleep the last, I don't know, five months? The reason why the unemployment rate is "stuck" at around 7.9% is because people are reentering the workforce.

Some of the worst cases have caused cities in that bluest of
blue states, California, to file for bankruptcy.”

A state that had a filibustering GOP in its legislature and a conservative governor for the better part of the decade. In comes Jerry Brown, in comes the 2/3 supermajority that Democrats needed to get anything done, the people vote to raise revenues, and what do you know, you have a balanced budget. In fact, California is on track to report surpluses for the foreseeable future starting this year.

Conservatives will need to find another beautiful, blue state to bash. We progressives took back California and, guess what, it ain't bankrupt no more.

Another lie filled speech as expected. And the sheep follow to slaughter.

Now, if rufullof@!$%#, er, um kidding could name a lie. Common, put some meat behind your baseless claim you coward.

Speaking of which....where is the usual crowd of whackadoodles this morning?

They were sleeping it off and you arrived before they did. ;)

Open your eyes folks - There is a very dangerous push in Washington that dumbs down society and creates a citizenry dependent on Government for their every need. Already millions upon millions have taken the bait.

They are crippling entire demographics by instilling in them a victim mentality and fostering the idea that they are owed something. As a "victim" myself, I know very well the value of developing a sense of personal self worth and an understanding of ones own capabilities. This NEVER comes from people giving you stuff and pandering to you - making excuses for you and allowing you to act awful to others and take advantage of them because well 'you have been persecuted' or 'victimized' or 'damaged' by society or your upbringing.

Sure the 'help' I received made things seem easier in many ways, but it seriously stifled my progress towards real happiness and developing a sense of self empowerment. If I'd stayed in that mindset of taking what I felt I was owed for my pain and suffering I would never be happy. I'm not saying we shouldn't help people or feel compassion for the bad things that they have had to endure, we certainly should, what I'm saying is that the way we help and show that compassion needs to be constructive in that it helps develop a sense personal capability and worth. Our Government either doesn't understand this or doesn't care.

Its very difficult to know when your help has become a hindrance, but I think that ignoring the fact that it has indeed become one can be extremely damaging especially when children are involved. They begin to develop that same I'm a victim attitude- always looking to reinforce ways that they are indeed a victim, so that now you are not only hurting one person you're hurting entire families. This 'you owe me something attitude' fosters deep resentment and anger and further divides society. This is NOT the way to unite a Country and more importantly it is NOT the way to help our children, our sisters, our brothers, our mothers, or our fathers, NOT the way to help anyone be HAPPIER - which is essentially what we all want.

Hey Barry..... remember those 60,929,152 that did NOT vote for you... they deserve a vote

Great thoughts and analysis this morning, minus the right-wingers who seem speechless or have reverted to regurgitated talking points.

Definitely, I will remember this State of the Union speech forever. It was excellent, powerful, emotional and from the heart. It was wonderful to hear our President give a SOTU speech filled with emotion and inspiration. "They deserve a vote". He gave us a long-term vision for the country and a transformational one shifting us back from conservative and restrictive thinking, back from the far right cliff edge to center and center left on social issues. As David W, said, the outlined plan extends beyond President Obama's years in office, it encompasses the next generation.

Fairfax Bill, honestly, it is one thing for you to have a different political ideology, it is another for you to ignore the facts. The decline in the middle class began with the GOP's hero, Ronald Reagan; America's decline began with voo-doo economics which eliminated government regulations and rewarded greed. Google middle class decline, the charts show when it began. Like so many republicans, you seem to block out the years from 2001 through 2008 when spewing your economic opinions. George W. Bush was left a budget surplus, our debt would have been paid off by 2016, but Bush and the GOP turned that surplus into yearly trillion dollar deficits. Now your side dares whine and complain about the debt they created beginning with Reagan.

Amy, well said. We elected the right person in 2008 and re-elected him 2012. Barack Obama was a "gift" to America at a time when we needed a "healer", a visionary, a pragmatist, an optimist, and a person who could speak and inspire us to do great things, to expect more and demand more of our elected leaders. As an Op Ed's headline in 2009 once hinted: What if we elected a "great" president and didn't notice.

The best advice I can offer to the far right that will help our economy grow faster is to simply remain seated while the rest of the world passes you by. All you have to do is STAY OUT OF OUR WAY, and things will improve dramatically.

The only reason we haven't enjoyed a rapid recovery is because time after time, you guys have blocked the efforts of rational people who recognize that only a unified approach will work. This has been explained to you mental midgets time and again, and all it seems to do is intensify your idiotic ideology. You actually believe the world will go the way of Atlas Shrugged, but you fail to realize Ayn Rand was a FICTION writer. Being fiction, you can make a story follow whatever path the writer wants it to. But unlike Ayn Rand's fiction, most people are not like you, and will not go along with what is not in their best interests, just to adhere to a very flawed ideology.

So you can continue to spout your nonsense if that makes you happy, but stop getting in the way of those who work to make this a better world. At the very least, be civil and wave as we pass you by.

The ONLY thing our current POtuS is concerned about is cementing his "legacy". And in his feeble mind, the end truly justifies the means. So have a great day, touting your "Saviours" inability to lead our Great Nation. And anyone who honestly thinks this man actually cares about he middle class, are in for a very rude awakening in these months to come.

I would have liked to see more about spending cuts like our President said on Medicare. Every cut in the budget will have a ripple affect on the economy, so picking a pet cut (Democrats seem to hit defense and business cuts, like oil and gas while Republicans cut entitlements such as housing, unemployment extensions, and the like) takes money out of the economy. Maybe we do need to raise taxes, however, the problem with raising taxes is once the tax is raised, it is hard to give the people their money back once the economy is rolling along. It's a long term issue. If you must raise taxes, then do so, BUT don't signal it as more spending. Pay down the debt, pay the governments bills and let any new initiatives wait until we can afford it. Like any other middle class person would do. That is how helping the middle class is done.

And don't touch the gun issue. Do more checks, more mental health checks, study the affects of video game and movie violence, but don't limit guns. It's not the answer.

Obama is right about common sense gun control laws. They are necessary to curb the over excessive epidemic-like volume of gun violence that we have in this country. We are a civilized society with a constitution that establishes us as a nation of laws. There is absolutely no excuse for us to sit back and do nothing while people die needlessly, all in the name of the 2nd amendment. Remember this.....

‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’

Having said that, everything else in his speech was rubbish. More big government, tax and spend ideas that didn't work before and won't work now.

Marco Rubio's speech was almost right on the money. I wish he would have spoken a little more about immigration reform that protects the rights of U.S. sitizens who are already here, and about balancing the budget.

Nonetheless he did point out that Obama increased our deficit more in 4 years, than Bush did in 8.

So, let's see what The Mouth That Roared can do from here on out. He hasn't done a damned thing in 4 years, so I really don't expect much more out of him this time around, either.

Hey Barry..... remember those 60,929,152 that did NOT vote for you... they deserve a vote

UHHHHM, Didn't they already get a vote? So sorry. You LOST! have a nice day! 8-)

Im not sure what the GOP heard or thought they heard last night based on Rubio's counter. I felt sorry for Rubio. Was he reading a scripted GOP rebuttal? Based on the counter claims Rubio was talking about makes me wonder if they were even responding to what Obama said or were just guessing.

I cannot find anything really wrong or that I disagree with in Obama's speech. He should have tied in the last part of bringing him the bills to sign to all points. Seemed that was more tied to the gun vote but overall pretty good.

http://news.msn.com/politics/fact-checking-obamas-state-of-the-union

At St Alphonos Pankake Breakfast. Where I stole the margarine.

Good one Mr. President. lmao

Bush didnt stand up in front of the country and lie to the American people by spinning information and purposely using MISLEADING information

That had to take some MoJo to type. MoJo must be the speech writer for Rubio. MARCO?? - POLO!!

Rubio is a walking, talking contradiction. He stud up there and said he got to where he is by getting financial aid to go to college. He even said he would not have been able to go to the school he went to with out it. He also mentioned that his dad was able to die with dignity due to his SS and medicare. Something his mother benefits from. Then later on he goes on to condemn govt for wanting to prioritize those very things, that helped his family so much, over giving rich their corporate welfare. Matthews was right last night when he called this and Tinker Toys speech!

And why are we still raging on the Afordable Care Act? This is a settled issue. It is the law of the land and we are all better for it. The people chose to either keep it or repeal it in Nov... can we please move on!

Oh and could the tea party get anymore irrelevant? Not even fox entertainment carried the rebuttal 2.0... dont they understand that they only represent the 1/3 of the population that not only wants to put the breaks on progress but also go backwards?

Great speach Mr President!!

SteveH USA

Last night Obama and the First Lady used the State of the Union spotlight to pay tribute to an innocent teenage girl shot and killed by Chicago gang thugs. On Friday, Obama will travel to the Windy City to decry violence and crusade for more gun laws in the town with the strictest gun laws and bloodiest gun-related death tolls in America.

Does the White House really want to open up a national conversation about the state of Chicago? Ok, let’s talk.

Yes, Steve-O, let's talk.

Until we have uniform national guns laws, cities like Chicago and New York-- which do have tough gun laws-- will be flooded with guns brought in illegally from outside their jurisdictions.

End of discussion.

No one pools capital and builds something or offers a service unless there is a demand for that product or service. Demand comes first. Demand is the cause, not the effect.

Spoken like the idiot you are. Until Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, IBM and others applied their creative talents, there was no demand for home computers that could fit on top of our desks. Until microwave ovens and VCRs appeared on store shelves, there was no demand for those gizmos either – heck, most people didn't even know what they were. Until the innovators at Apple showered the world with iPods, iPads, and iPhones, few knew that massive numbers of consumers would demand same. And until Nike changed the look of tennis shoes, even fewer knew we wanted a hundred styles to choose from, styles that created additional demand for a previously boring product. The fact of the matter is that a fundamental dynamic that makes the American economy as vibrant and diverse as it is are the visionaries take a risk and create new products well before any demand exists. Deal with it.

That can be spun to ... a thriving economy is the consequence of a growing middle class. Actually they work in tandem in a modern economy.

Middle class demand contributes to a growing economy, I agree. But the spark that fuels their demand is the dollars put into their pockets by the jobs created by those who produce goods and services. That's what jumpstarts the virtuous cycle wherein more jobs generate more spending (demand) which in turn produces more jobs that lead to even more spending. This is the cycle that has been missing on Obama's watch.

Steve-446003

Hey Barry..... remember those 60,929,152 that did NOT vote for you... they deserve a vote

Hey Steve .... um, they voted.

"The president also made an exaggerated claim of bipartisanship. He said that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney agreed with him that the minimum wage should be tied to the cost of living. But Romney backed off that view during the campaign."

Romney also backed off his health care plan. Romney ran away from so many of his positions that he exposed himself as a politician who'd say anything to get elected. The American people saw through the sham of his campaign and elected the best candidate.

geo writes:

The one with a backward GDP quarter, the one with a growing unemployment number, the one with a shrinking middle-class. Median middle-class income DOWN $4,500.00

Another disconnected Republican. When you cut government spending GDP takes a ding. When you crash the economy by letting Wall Street gamble with the peoples wealth, the consequence is a GREAT RECESSION. Why the decline in wages? During the worst of it, WORKERS took wage concessions, "Right to Work" laws were enacted, putting downward pressure on all wages, and millions of good paying jobs were lost as business' were forced to downsize. That in turn forced many to take a job that pays substantially less, again, courtesy of the "Right to Work" laws brought to you by Republicans across our country.

ProFreedom writes:

Let's force employers to lay off employees because they have to pay them more.

One could say employers are forcing the government to pick up the tab when they pay their worker a annual wage that falls below the poverty line.

Hey Barry..... remember those 60,929,152 that did NOT vote for you... they deserve a vote

Steve with a lot of numbers didn't pass first grade math. Those 60+M votes were cast, counted, and negated by an informed voting public. Thank god reason occasionally prevails over ignorance.

Heh-heh-heh, good ones you guys.

Sleeping it off. Yep, they've got a lot of sorrows to drown.

Slept late. What? America's only true patriots asleep on the job? Say it ain't so!

Personally, I think the email containing the GOP talking points was late this morning because they were still doing damage control over Rubio's response.

Just a cryin' shame Rubio is the best they can do. I guess he's better than Bachman and the nut-house gang. But not by much.

Bush didnt stand up in front of the country and lie to the American people by spinning information and purposely using MISLEADING information

In the name of all that is good and truthful, how good anybody, at this point believe such a thing?

Be sure to watch Rachel next Monday...Hubris!

necessity is the mother of invention, not government. Go to the USSR Libs if you think large government will care and protect you. Come back in a couple years and let us know how great the 'system' is..

To quote a FR libtard aggitator. HAHAHA @ YOU MORONS

i did not watch the speech; as with all politicians most of what he says are lies, half-truths or simply misleading remarks.

he seems to be a pretty good speaker but he has done little in the way of following up on things he talks about -- he can talk the talk but rarely walks the walk.

besides i figured that i could get the reviews here from his "community of worshipers".

with respect to why those with dissenting views may not show up is that all of the name calling and insults received do little to progress a conversation.

Obama is perfect. Nuff said.

Hear, hear, Caesar!! You have sobered up! ;)

The prevaricator-in-chief, whose job it is to project a false sense of security to the people and to keep the masses ill-informed regarding the looming financial disaster, says our union is strong.

Quick ! Somebody get a fire extinguisher ... Obama's pants are on fire from lying!

When the MSN FACT-CHECKER goes against so many of Obama's claims, it simply makes Obama look like a liar !

Obama claimed an increase of 500,000 manufacturing jobs ... FACT CHECKER shows a NET LOSS of 600,000 jobs ! (Strike the match !) Then raising the minimum wage to $9.00 will send even more overseas !

Obama claimed that auto mileage has doubled ....but FACT CHECKER shows he is claiming targeted goals that MAY exist in 2025 ! (Light his pants right by the butt crack !!)

Obama claimed his beloved Obamacare has already reduced health care costs ... but FACT CHECKER points out that most of these savings occurred ......BEFORE the law began to go into effect !! (Step back in case Obama farts while lighting !)

Obama claims $2.4trillion in deficit reductions have already been achieved .... FACT CHECKER shows that this has not yet happened, depends on future actions, and that the economic condition of our country is worse than indicated ! (Obama is up in flames ....his pants are on fire, and his pipe dreams do not equate with reality !! )

Another flaming liberal caught in his own lies.... IMAGINE THAT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until microwave ovens and VCRs appeared on store shelves, there was no demand for those gizmos either

Got to love double down on stupid. Guess what Billy-bob - the demand existed for those products long before they were invented. Now, as to your ridiculous theory, I will give you credit for those ever important Hula-Hoops and Slinkies. Those are two products that without being invented, demanded, and consumed, the world would have stopped.

kaybeetoys writes (#1.87)

Obama is perfect. Nuff said.

Hear, hear, Caesar!! You have sobered up! ;)

Or maybe Caesar lost consciousness. He can only tell truth after losing consciousness.

Caesar Augustus-

necessity is the mother of invention, not government. Go to the USSR Libs if you think large government will care and protect you. Come back in a couple years and let us know how great the 'system' is..

If someone could invent a time machine and do that, I think we could fix our economy overnight. :)

And, the Weeper of the House looked like he was;

A.) Sober

B.) Constipated

C.) All of the above

I guess when Obama sheds tears it's touching and when a Republican does it's because they are crybabies.... This is why it's not worth the effort to reach across the isle to the left. The [un]"compassionate" party (Democrats if you couldn't tell and I have to use the term loosely myself) will put forth zero effort toward us and then shoves out @!$%# like this. Good job Feisty. Now you know why you are the laughing stock at the vine.

i did not watch the speech; as with all politicians most of what he says are lies, half-truths or simply misleading remarks.

If you didn't watch, how could you possibly know what lies and half-truths were delivered. Another dismissed divination.

billybob-6210632

i did not watch the speech; as with all politicians most of what he says are lies, half-truths or simply misleading remarks.

he seems to be a pretty good speaker but he has done little in the way of following up on things he talks about -- he can talk the talk but rarely walks the walk.

Frankly, I'm stunned, billybob. I feel exactly the same as you do about Marco Rubio.

Bill, Fairfax VA

This is the cycle that has been missing on Obama's watch.

I would argue that that cycle was shipped overseas in the 1980s and that Obama had zilch to do with it. I would further argue that America is need of massive infrastructure investment before it become a second class country. If you can't move the goods, they will be built elsewhere.

...ah, yes...the usual suspects here on FR who believe every word out of Prez-0's mouth is an edict from Almighty God.

It pitiful when you think about it...

...of course, not a peep out of them when they found out a few weeks ago that he ordered a drone to bomb & kill a 16 y.o. American citizen overseas. No due process, no innocent before proven guilty, just Prez-0 as judge, jury & executioner.

Be careful out there, Americans - you may be deemed as a threat to his dictatorship.

They deserve a vote. I love the way Obama and his speech writers tied the struggle of the 102 year old lady standing in line for six hours to vote in the last election to the victims of gun violence and efforts of the conservatives to block voting in both polling places and congress. I saw the wry smile on his face when several months ago after the election he said "we have to do something about that." Come on Republicans, even you guys have to admit that was brilliant oratory and why we leftists love this guy.

BCWC -- You write:

America is need of massive infrastructure investment...

Yes we do! What are the REPUBLICANS waiting for - interest rates to CLIMB??? The math challenged Party is looking even more stupid these days.

Let's force employers to lay off employees because they have to pay them more

Another brilliant capitalist at work. If you don't like the rules of capitalism, then don't get into the game, idiot.

ComradeChaos
...ah, yes...the usual suspects here on FR who believe every word out of Prez-0's mouth is an edict from Almighty God.

Heard that line from Limbaugh (aka your God) this morning, Comrade?

Obama is perfect. Nuff said

Actually Ceasar, you are correct for a change. President Obama IS the perfect person to have as President during this time in history.

I guess when Obama sheds tears it's touching

President Obama sheds tears from his heart, Agent Orange sheds tears from his bottle!

Now you know why you are the laughing stock at the vine.

It's a tough job but someone has to do it! ;o)

This is why it's not worth the effort to reach across the isle to the left.

Clean up the bile spilled by the right in your own backyard, then we can talk!

Quit blaming Democrats for the collapse of your BIG tent! lol

Wow the fans in the stands are out in force today! Lets all shout about how great our biggest cheerleader is! For once, I wish you would take off your rose colored glasses and look at this for what it really is. ANY SOTU has got to be the biggest smoke and mirrors speech ever delivered for the purpose of telling it like we'd sure like to see it. For once, Mr. President how about simply telling the truth to us as if we don't already know. Thanks for speaking to us like we need you to tell us how good things are despite our first hand knowledge to the contrary.

For once, please tell us what the SOTU is now, not how we would like to see it. Go ahead and give us the truth - we can handle it - after all, we have to live and deal with the truth everyday. My creditors are thrilled to know that the measures I'm putting in place today will allow me to pay them in 2027.

I'm simply filled with hope and adulation to know that your efforts for 8 years will reap these tremendous benefits in a decade or two. It's so comforting to know that if things work out as you suggest, in the time frame you suggest, it doesn't really matter - you will be in your umpteenth year of presidential pension anyway and it would be way too late for you to take any credit.

I don't care who is president or what party your from - the SOTU is BS at it's finest. If you actually believe any of the hogwash any of them deliver, you are delusional.

Obama now realizes that a vote will be the only way of getting major changes to the gun laws.

Executive privilege or his abuse of power, that he loves to use, will not work here.

Although, this is an important issue, there ARE many more that deserve the same attention and determination that this is receiving.

In the past, attention seems to be deliberately diverted from the REAL issues to the one's of lesser importannce.

Maxx the Moocher

Dennis said,

"Marco Rubio [the latest person to give a rebuttal to the SOTU address that will never be President] told several tall tales last night about:"
"-Obamacare causing people to lose their coverage"

Might want to read this from an article...

CBO: Under Obamacare 7 million to lose employer-provided health insurance

By: Howard Portnoy

The nonpartisan government agency estimates that 7 million Americans will lose their employer-provided health insurance once the law becomes fully implemented.

Dennis, Rubio didn't lie but you did and this proves you are another low information voter!!

===============

Maxx...you can't talk about being a low information voter. What you didn't quote from the CBO clipping is 'how' people would allegedly lose their insurance. Why...because these folks will lose their insurance because of the decision of their Employer. USING the ACA as business justification to either A) reduce people hours, status changing their eligibility for health insurance in the first place or B) choosing to take the penalty for not providing insurance to an otherwise eligible employee

Get some friggin context while you pontificate about being a low information voter for goodness sake.

Many delusioned party hacks on today.

“Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mediocre educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom and go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts. Some of you like Pep rallies and plastic robots who tell you what to read.”
― Frank Zappa

@ Feisty - Look who's talking about bile. You lefties slather it on think and oily and think it's honey. You blame the right for it all but the left started it flying decades before the right did. We just finally got sick of keeping our mouths shut and started to return in kind. (Which somehow makes us mean, but not you....) It's not work pretending that you and your ilk want to do anything but screw the rest of us over. We're done playing nice and have been for 20 years now. Your ilk stopped playing nice 50 years ago.

Joe in Albany.........you said:

Quote.....The state of our union is bankrupt.......EndQuote

"Bankrupt" is a legal term implying insolvency. Insolvency means "unable to meet debts or discharge liabilities"

Since the United States is a sovereign nation with its own currency, your term "bankrupt" is malapropos.

We (the U.S.) continue to "meet debts" and "discharge liabilities". Furthermore, the value of our currency is remarkably stable, interest rates are low, and our treasury dept. perceives excellent demand for its offerings.

http://www.x-rates.com/graph/?from=USD&to=EUR&amount=1

It is curious that a person (i.e. you) who (claims he) engages in arcane tax avoidance schemes (emulating Mitt Romney), has such an unsophisticated perception of international finance. Perhaps we should defer to Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL for an explanation.

jim-1455434

... raising the minimum wage to $9.00 will send even more [jobs] overseas !

What are you worried about jim? Isn't it really just about not being able to bitch about all those $8.00 folks collecting food stamps?

I found at the conclusion of the speech it did not really matter whether I agreed with everything Mr. Obama said (and I did NOT agree with everything) - it felt good to be an American. Isn't that, regardless of partisan leaning, what a SOTU is really all about? Because when it all boils down to it, making America better is really up to We, the People.

Good job, Mr. Obama. Let's make this thing work.

I can always tell when President Obama gives a great speech or good news about the economy hits the air, or any other success achieved by our President because so many of the conservatives who hit FR yell LIAR, GREECE, GLOOM, DOOM, WORST president ever; and then there are those who simply ignore the Bush 43 years as if we jumped from Clinton to Obama all while stomping their feet in unison and throwing hissy fits! Nice job, right-wingers, you never fail to meet my expectations however low they might be.

As for Albany Joe's daily Greece and Europe economic tirade, he fails to mention that the reason Greece and much of Europe have fallen back into recession is primarily the result of AUSTERITY; too much austerity too soon--the very AUSTERITY the GOPers are trying to implement in the USA. In addition, Greece suffers from decades of tax evasion by its wealthy (sounds familiar except our tax code makes tax avoidance by the big corporations, millionaires and billionaires easy), and decades of fraud and corruption.

Our national debt is a long-term problem but our best solution for that debt is to improve the economy by investing in the country, encouraging growth, raising wages thus increasing revenues. A strong economy is the best cure for the deficit and ultimately the debt. Once the economy is in high gear, then we address the debt head on.

We hear often about the millions and billions in profits for big business, and that those businesses are sitting on their wealth because demand isn't there. Does it not ever occur to the CEOs--who earn multi-million dollar salaries as well as their upper management's substantial wages--to give their production and lower-wage workers a raise. If demand isn't there to hire more people or expand or produce more product, then the businesses can help create the demand by paying its current workers more. Reward your production and office workers, they will put that money into the economy. It is a win, win. Sitting on piles of corporate cash and not giving raises to workers who would pump that raise back into the economy is the equivalent of stashing ones savings in a hole in the backyard--it just sits there gathering dust and moisture.

Can I ask why you think the return of manufacturing will bring better paying jobs? These jobs are returning because through automation, it is now cost effective to bring manufacturing closer to the market. The jobs available will be fewer and will be for the maintenance of the machines. I don't see how a liberal arts degree prepares you for this type of job.

Also, with the IRS ruling that the cheapest family plan under Obamcare is likely to be $20K, and that an employer has no responsibility to pay for family benefits, only for the employee, and that the limit of 10% in premiums again only applies to the employee, means that a large number of families will be relying on the medicaid expansion, not the exchanges. Added to this is the possibility that the courts will stick to the actual wording of the law and stop any subsidies being used in Federal exchanges.

Maybe they should have read the bill before passing it. They might not have run into these oops moments.

I used to say that eventually people would realize that government cannot be all things to all people, and that eventually people would come to realize that more often than not, government is source of our problems, not the solution. Based on the fact that Obama essentially doubled down on this fantasy last night and on all the comments in support of his speech, I guess I was giving people too much credit.

It is amazing to me that more people can't see through this ridiculous notion that the government can provide this mind blowing list of things that Obama proposed last night while we're $16 Trillion in debt and adding another $1 Trillion every year. It very simply doesn't add up.

I'm curious what people think about when gun policy and the constitution as written and verified by the Supreme court was the opinion of the framers that an armed civilian population is better for the nation as a whole.

Does it fall under "Freedom isn't free"? Is it from old people out of touch? Is changing the constitution a better way than the ridiculous amount of resources and cultural divisions caused by a relatively minor social issue (The national fiscal policies are much more dangerous to the nation than gun ownership.)

I say minor as there were about 2.5 million deaths in 2010. All gun deaths represent less than 1/2 of 1%.

Would changing the Constitution of such a strongly felt right by a large segment of the population be essentially like breaking a contract to many of them. Justifying rejection of a government that no longer protects them from the passions, fickleness, and vagaries of the public as is the strongly stated purpose of the Constitution framers?

Have we as a society become so unsophisticated that all that is needed are dog and pony shows with pretty lights and music for us to ignore the lengthy writings of soul searching and research by the Framers of the Constitution as to balancing the needs of government, people, and individuals?

I do not advise unlimited civilian armament. But the Constitution and the supporting opinions by the framers of it clearly felt it necessary to arm the public to be a credible deterrence from both foreign and domestic oppression.

All the best to everyone, may you all soul search and try to make peace.

I can always tell when President Obama gives a great speech or good news about the economy hits the air, or any other success achieved by our President because so many of the conservatives who hit FR yell LIAR, GREECE, GLOOM, DOOM, WORST president ever; and then there are those who simply ignore the Bush 43 years as if we jumped from Clinton to Obama all while stomping their feet in unison and throwing hissy fits! Nice job, right-wingers, you never fail to meet my expectations however low they might be.

I agree with you Jody. Barack Obama is so lucky that he followed George W Bush. Otherwise there would be no doubt that he is the worst President in living memory. (and that includes Nixon and Carter).

We're done playing nice and have been for 20 years now.

Oh Goodee for you! lol

SOTU disassembled:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2013/02/13/ten-quotes-from-president-obamas-state-of-the-union-address-n1511234

Rubio was propped up by GOP leaders to put a kinder, friendlier face on a failed political movement that is in the process of crashing and burning. Instead, he came of as nervous, embarrassed, and out of his depth. If that is the best the Republican Party can do, then the party is clearly on its last legs. After it collapses completely, perhaps it will reform itself into a political organization that represents the American people instead of merely the extreme right wing lunatic fringe. We can only hope.

Presidents proposals are reasonable, logical, doable, and urgently needed. Now, will any of these come to pass any time soon? The half assed hunt for ways and means will, at least, by a few of those charged with the representation of self government, but most, especially republicans, will spend their time denying the means and hiding the ways. Never gonna find something you think you lost, when the thief who stole it from you is helping you hunt it. Republicanism is a manifestation of greed borne insanity. We'll be rid of 'em, or, we'll become 'em.

notice all the far left castro lovers thought i was serious...and whats worse, you actually believe Obama is perfect.... I thought you lefty tools were atheists, yet you view Obama as DemiGod.... TOO FVCKING FUNNY.

Thanks KB, Pigslop, Fuzz for the Laugh.

again to honor a great poster...HAHAHAHAHA

Fairfax Bill, I beg to differ.

None of the inventions or innovations you present as examples of economic job starters would have had the impact they had without a healthy and affluent middle class. Nobody in his right mind, not Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Sherman Fairchild, or Bob Noyce, or any number of investors who powered the technological revolution would have spent a single dime without first being convinced that a viable market existed for the product. That market had to consist of either an economically strong middle class or a well funded military. In many ways, the advent of the space race and the creation of NASA with tax support provided the market, then more innovation followed.

Anyone who thinks that innovation comes before a market is deluded. Innovation develops when a market appears, not the other way around. Plenty of examples exist where innovation has withered away without a market, until later an affluent middle class provided a market for unheralded products which became useful and desirable.

So, the idea that giving money to wealthy investors so they can start innovation which somehow magically creates a market and makes jobs pop up like mushrooms is a fallacy. This is the basic weakness in the Republican plan to grow the economy. Taking money from the middle class to give to the wealthy in expectation that they will use it to innovate and create jobs is absolutely wrong and childishly simplistic.

The economy will grow when money flows into the hands of people who spend it. That is the middle class and the aspiring middle class. Enriching the rich will never create enough jobs to make the economy grow, unless it's more hedge fund traders and investment managers. We need jobs that create good paychecks, like infrastructure improvement, construction, teachers, public service providers, and health care workers; not the so-called innovators, like corporate lawyers, investment managers, stock traders, and over-paid CEO's. Only by channeling funds into the underlying structure will we begin to see a vibrant economy.

Does anyone remember a decade ago when the POTUS stated in his SOTUS numbers and types of nonexistent WMD?

Bush lied and people died.

Last night the POTUS in his SOTUS talked about Driving forward to the future instead of Reversing back into the ditch.

kaybeetoys - Heard that line from Limbaugh (aka your God) this morning, Comrade?

...ah, yes - let us not acknowledge the truth, but criticize it. I for one do not listen to Mr. Rush.
Unlike you, I do not place my faith in man.

...however, it is pitiful that you have a seething hatred for people who do not follow in lockstep to your ill-thought-out ideology. Your malice must have kept you warm this past winter.

" with Republicans like Ted Cruz, a freshman senator from Texas, going as far as to suggest that Mr. Hagel had accepted money from nations that oppose American interests. Saying that he had serious doubts about the source of payments that Mr. Hagel had accepted for speaking engagements, Mr. Cruz declared, ‘It is at a minimum relevant to know if that $200,000 that he deposited in his bank account came directly from Saudi Arabia, came directly from North Korea.’” That back-and-forth added fuel to the fire that the Senate is -- more and"

I find this interesting for any senator to question where any funds or payments come from when every politican in washington accepts funds from whoever ..... they may call it contributions or whatever..even from a committee fund of some creative sort..but the fact remains that they never challenge themselves on funds received..just everyone else. Every country has lobbyist....and most every politican acdcepts funds from them..for this senator to have misgivings about what Hagel may or may not have been paid seems crude since every politican does the same thing...only they get theirs from lobbyist...from the same countries.

Spoken like the idiot you are. Until Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, IBM and others applied their creative talents, there was no demand for home computers that could fit on top of our desks. Until microwave ovens and VCRs appeared on store shelves, there was no demand for those gizmos either

I mean, you just couldn't possibly be more wrong. Both your posts are so disconnected from reality it's pretty laughable. But it does show the mindset of some folks and how the "supply-siders" were able to hoodwink the public into giving up their wealth.

Companies do not set out to make any product with no foreseeable use within society, and then realize fantastic sales simply because said product is available. Demand comes first, Supply comes second. A company will not invest in producing a product unless market research shows there is demand for said product.

This is why Iphone sales are not surging in Rwanda and why personal computers aren't a hot-ticket item in Equatorial Guinea. The product exists, why oh why aren't people there buying them?!?

@fyte 4 justice#1.123: That's the way it works. Appreciate it. Regards

@ Allen - What the hell do you expect? A company must compete to stay afloat. Unlike the left, company owners and operations KNOW they can't simply charge more to cover their costs. This new law will not come cheap to them. They are forced to make changes to stay competitive. Since they government is insisting on stacking the deck against the employer, they employer is forced to take other means. Also unlike popular believe, generally employers don't like to piss off their employees because that reduced efficiency and productivity. Sometimes pissing off employees can't be helped but few will go out of their way to do it. These employers are screaming "Ha, ha screw you all!!". They are saying "we were screwed by the government and to stay afloat we are spreading some of that screwing around."

So let us make everyone happy and make sure no one has a job left. At least then we would all be equal. The left's mmantrain it's most perfect form.

my2centsworth, you have valued your opinion fairly.

A SOTU speech is just a speech.

We need to focus on issues like this:

(Pennsylvania Governor)"Tom Corbett and his Republican allies in the Pennsylvania legislature appear to be moving ahead with their idea to change the way we hold presidential elections.

Corbett's idea is to allocate Pennsylvania's Electoral College votes by percentage instead of winner-take-all. Using this formula, the 2012 Pennsylvania results would have given the GOP ticket (Romney/Ryan) 8 votes and the Democratic ticket (Obama/Biden) 12 votes, instead of all 20 going to the Democrats.

At first glance this might sound like a more fair system, but it would only work if all states had the same system. But the only states considering the Corbett Scheme are states where President Obama won, and where Republicans control the state government—Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. If the Corbett Scheme had been in place last year in these states, we would have a President Romney who won only 47% of the vote.

Even Rep. Paul Ryan opposes it, even though he would be vice president today if it had passed last year."

~Michael Morrill, MoveOn

Last night the POTUS in his SOTUS talked about Driving forward to the future instead of Reversing back into the ditch.

last night was groundhog day. SSDD, do enjoy

@AndresTM how conveniently you neglect the 'conservative' side that contributed to the 'success' you tout. Jerry Brown, for example, in addition to raising taxes, cut extensively to reach the budget surplus (that still doesn't touch the insane debt that California faces - but that is another topic).

You also conveniently leave out any criticism of beloved leader Obama and the rest. I definitely don't think Republicans are without blame, but you dopes give him a pass on EVERYTHING!!

...ah, yes - let us not acknowledge the truth, but criticize it. I for one do not listen to Mr. Rush.
Unlike you, I do not place my faith in man.

Greetings, Comrade! Just out of curiousity, where do you place your faith? Going by your lovely avatar, I'm wondering if that might be in machines? Possibly guns?

...however, it is pitiful that you have a seething hatred for people who do not follow in lockstep to your ill-thought-out ideology. Your malice must have kept you warm this past winter.

Hey, that was pretty cute! That made me laugh. ;)

fyte 4 justice -- Well said.

I would add it is Bill of Fairfax and others like him, that oversaw the destruction of the middle classes. Whether it was by design or sheer ignorance, makes little difference.

... another day, another wilted salad ... something is amiss with the toga dressing.

So basically he outlined the same exact stuff he was supposed to do the last 4 years but changed the delivery so it sounds like its now imminent? Its a laundry list and like most American's laundry list it won't be checked off. Everyone is so enamored with his speeches and his eloquent, riveting delivery but all they are at the end are .. words. Pay attention to what he says and how he doesn't accomplish anything instead of being memorized when he sings Al Green. It is so easy to distract people nowadays from the truth and they are enthralled by crap that means nothing. STOP TALKING OBAMA AND DO IT. Same old crap different day. And are we STILL talking about Bush? Reallllyyy? Read this its not only funny but true ..... Also add to this list in this funny article the fact that John Kerry, YES JOHN KERRY DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE AND NOW SECRETARY OF STATE, paid LOWER taxes then Romney did, LOWER. Where are the horrific democratic cries of injustice on his millions of dollars that are not taxed at the same rate as everyone else???

How many posts in this thread if you delete the ones that resort to personal insults?

Just asking.

Try debating the idea and not the person posting it and you might even have a real discussion. Probably not, but it would be interesting to see it happen, once...

Unlike the left, company owners and operations KNOW they can't simply charge more to cover their costs.

Oh my gosh, it is Bill Fairfax, Jr. Conservatives love to extoll the virtues of capitalism, yet they know nothing about capitalism. CEOs KNOW they can't increase prices to cover their costs? What frickin' planet are you from?

STOP TALKING OBAMA AND DO IT

So long as the obstructionist GOP is there to say no to Obama's every whim, my friend, the fault will always lie with them, as regards Obama's apparent inaction.

Obama pointed out that Congress "has already reduced the deficit by $2.5 trillion." Really? Last I checked it was around $10 trillion when he took office and now it's getting up towards $17 trillion. I guess I must be an extremist because I believe that this amounts to an increase of the deficit by about $7 trillion rather than a reduction of the deficit by $2.5 trillion. Somehow, against all logic, it's the people who think that their math says it's a reduction who are running the country.

I would add it is Bill of Fairfax and others like him, that oversaw the destruction of the middle classes

and the current POS has done nothing to rebuild it or encourage its growth. Oh i guess blaming the guy 4 years ago counts right?

So DCIA, what difference is there between you and Bill again?

You liberal Fanboys are predictable with the scripted finger pointing. I believe you call that leadership

You know what lowers crime including gun related crimes? Good paying jobs and good parenting. It's the economy $tupid. One prime good example is Chicago. Same place that Obama is from. High unemployment, bottom of the barrel education, parents that rather watch American Idol instead of providing good parenting. Now these kids either go into life of crime with role models like Paris Hilton or Kim Kardasian. You never hear parents having any type of accountability whats so ever when their kids get involved in a crime. There was a story where a drunk underage 20 yr old plowed through 2 children and killing them when they tried to help move the car over in Texas. After seeing the horror (1 died on scene and other end up dying at the hospital), went home, came back and shot the drunk 20 yr old in the head. You should hear the coments on the story. People blaming the father for running out of gas.. even the Aunt of the drunk punk ignored the fact that her nephew killed 2 kids but wanted justice for the father. Absolute no accountability among the parents. Hey Chicago, with the one of the few highest restricted gun laws in the country...... hows gun control working?

You know what else will help with the deficit? Get out of the military complex, and end both Iraq and Afghanistan wars. That means removing all military and military contractors out of there. We spend billions there monthly. Here is a head turner. Why in 2012, Department of Homeland security bought 1.4 Billion rounds? And just recently bought 200 million more rounds? Department of Homeland Security? Really? Our military in Iraq uses 5.5 million rounds a month. And of course now they have drones in the sky that can legally kill US citizens without warrant or due process.

Money can be better spend here by improving infrastructure, roads, jobs, education. Not war. Obama is just another Bush Jr.

There is no consumption in our economy without production – you can't buy a car or an iPhone unless someone builds one first. That means the middle class can't thrive unless entrepreneurs and investors pool their capital to form productive enterprises that create goods and services – and the jobs needed to produce them. So the spark that starts the engine of economic growth is private sector investment, and the middle class buying power fueled by that investment comes only later.

As usual, you don't understand how any of this works. Private sector investment is not the spark that starts the engine of economic growth. Private sector investment is a sign of maturity of the industry or idea and that it is ready for private investment. Private investors do not like investing in open-ended research. Sure, they will invest in research, but applied research, where the end goal is in sight. Private industry is great for commercializing ideas, but almost all of the great advances that have come have come from public investment. For example, you cite Bill Gates and Steve Jobs - an industry that was sparked by public investment when the military needed computers for cracking codes and calculating rocket trajectories.

What this president and his left wing pals just don't get is that a thriving middle class is a CONSEQUENCE of a growing economy, not the cause of it.

What you don't get is that private investment is a CONSEQUENCE of the success of public research, not the cause of it.

Unfortunately, economic growth during the Obama regime has been pathetic and that's why the middle class has not thrived.

Actually, private sector growth has been vibrant during the Obama regime. Corporate profits are near all-time highs. Companies are just putting those profits in the bank. That is because private sector doesn't invest money unless it has something obvious to invest in. Unless the public sector can provide a better infrastructure and a better vision of where to invest, they are just going to keep sitting on the money.

Indeed, this president has presided over more poverty, dependency and chronic unemployement than ever before in our history. Lost jobs, lower wages, surging energy costs, millions leaving the work force, higher health insurance premiums, record numbers on food stamps and disability – these are the pillars of Obama's economic legacy. And the middle class has been a sea of despair on Obama's watch, not a cog in our economic growth machine.

Obama wants to invest in our infrastructure and in open-ended research so that we can get a new era of growth. Since so many Right Wingers have a religious blindness against understanding the role of our public sector, and fight him every step of the way, it takes him much longer to do anything. <sarcasm>Thank you for your patriotism.</sarcasm>

1.142

Your hubris Mr.Caesar is so self-serving.

And that ATTITUDE....

With posts like yours... are you "employable", "admirable", "likeable" ?

Or you just cranky?

Is your life really that desperate and miserable?

Does ugliness surround you?

Are you seriously that hateful?

Because you sure appear to be quite disagreeable...with nothing EVER constructive to say.

Also, with the IRS ruling that the cheapest family plan under Obamcare is likely to be $20K, and that an employer has no responsibility to pay for family benefits, only for the employee, and that the limit of 10% in premiums again only applies to the employee, means that a large number of families will be relying on the medicaid expansion, not the exchanges. Added to this is the possibility that the courts will stick to the actual wording of the law and stop any subsidies being used in Federal exchanges.

Maybe they should have read the bill before passing it. They might not have run into these oops moments.

An excellent argument for scrapping Obamacare and going completely single-payer. Thank you.

Hey Chicago, with the one of the few highest restricted gun laws in the country...... hows gun control working?

Maybe you should learn to read before you open your mouth:

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/national/states-with-most-restrictive-gun-control-laws-have-lower-gun-related-deaths-study-finds

Countries with the most restrictive gun laws have the lowest murder rates in comparison to other countries. US States with the most restrictive gun laws have lower murder rates in comparison to other states.

But you can't help sounding stupid, can you?

and the current POS has done nothing to rebuild it or encourage its growth.

Yea...the drop in the deficit, the economic recovery and the falling unemployment has NOTHING to do with him. Right, I believe that.

You liberal Fanboys are predictable with the scripted finger pointing. I believe you call that leadership

I love reading your posts. In general, I would just feel sorry for you, but you are such a hateful person, I rather enjoy the pain you put yourself through. I guess that's rather petty of me, but what the heck.

Byron--

YES! This country deserves a single-payer system. Why should poorer countries like Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Australia, or France have healthier populaces than us, why should they have better healthcare systems than ours?

A common misconception among the right is that we progressives aren't patriotic enough and don't realize that America is the best country on Earth. No, we're perfectly patriotic and we think our country ought to have the best of everything. Which is why it vexes us that other countries have better healthcare systems than ours. There's absolutely no reason why ANY American should EVER be uninsured.

Hello folks, as you have read there are many staunch supporters of the President's speech. I too wish that all was well with our economy and national mores and ethics.

I voted for Obama in 2008 because I thought he would focus on the middle class and poor and stop our Imperialistic tendencies. He talks a good game but delivers nothing. Obama has Out-Bushed Bush which illustrates to me that we have a one headed two party system who serve their same masters the banksters/Federal Reserve and Wall Street. As a result, I have become a political atheist as I realized that you can’t penalize our corrupt political system at the ballot box. We are given a vote to give us the illusion that we have political clout at the table of the elite, we don’t!

We need to stop the divisiveness and focus on the realities that are presented and work together as “We The People” to resolve these inequities. It begins with recognition of the problem and communicating with friends, family and neighbors.

For Example:

The true state of our economy can be seen by taking 30 seconds out of your day to review:

www.usdebtclock.org

Obama through his recent actions has proven to be the Judge, Jury, Executioner and Executive Order Dictator in Chief despite the will of the people or elected congressman.

Rendition and torture continues through proxy NATO allies, Assassination of US citizens has been advertised and authorized through the recent DOJ “Memo”, The use of illegal Drone strikes around the world has been sanctioned, Banks are allowed to gamble illegally privatizing profits and socializing losses, we arm and support Al Qaeda in Libya and Syria and fight against them in Afghanistan and Mali, Obama signed the Executive Order on cyber security on 2/12 despite it being voted down by elected government officials, the list goes on and on.

The sad part is that while they turn up the heat on the boiling frogs the Republican Democrat blame gamers try and drown each other.

Try debating the idea and not the person posting it and you might even have a real discussion.

What... and miss out on gems like this?: "Your malice must have kept you warm this past winter."

Not on your life, dangerfield!!! ;)

Obama pointed out that Congress "has already reduced the deficit by $2.5 trillion." Really? Last I checked it was around $10 trillion when he took office and now it's getting up towards $17 trillion.

You must be from the far future, because the most the deficit has ever been before today is somehwhere around 1.1 trillion.

I guess I must be an extremist because I believe that this amounts to an increase of the deficit by about $7 trillion rather than a reduction of the deficit by $2.5 trillion.

No, you are an extremist because you do not understand plain English and I am sure that you refuse to be educated. But if you are interested in becoming an effete liberal and actually understanding something, google "difference between deficit and debt".

It's kind of funny, you say things like:

We need to stop the divisiveness and focus on the realities that are presented and work together as “We The People” to resolve these inequities. It begins with recognition of the problem and communicating with friends, family and neighbors.

And then you also say:

He talks a good game but delivers nothing.

You are, in fact, the reason why there is divisiveness in the first place. You talk about reality, but refuse to acknowledge anything he actually has done. So spare us, please.

RI Mom

1.142

Your hubris Mr.Caesar is so self-serving.

And that ATTITUDE....

LOL..yeah mine....Look in the mirror much RI? nah, you dont, ive seen plenty of your self serving rants, much like your libby friends.....you'd see the irony if you did....Now go put your head back in the sand deary

HAHAHAHAHAHA @ YOU!!!

He talks a good game but delivers nothing.

You are, in fact, the reason why there is divisiveness in the first place

is it not true and what has Oblamo delivered...

CA -- You write:

blaming the guy 4 years ago counts right?

I'm blaming Republican policies of the past several decades for the destruction of the middle classes.

POS has done nothing to rebuild it or encourage its growth...

Let me rephrase that for you.

Why hasn't the President fixed all the problems that led to the destruction of the middle classes over the decades? Hmm.

Could it be Republicans are halting growth by obstructing good, sensible job legislation? Could it be that Republicans don't have a clue how to grow an economy other than to wage war or increase defense spending?Could it be the Republicans are busy holding the economy hostage in order to implement austerity that would actually cause even more damage to GROWTH not to mention completely decimate what's left of the middle classes? Could it be that Republicans have no good ideas to bring to the table EVER?

I'd say Caesar, it is all of the above and more.

"second part was emotional plea to curb gun violence…" because that is all it is. EMOTIONAL. There is no real agenda to curb gun violence, or increase public safety.

"Nothing we're going to do is going to fundamentally alter or eliminate the possibility of another mass shooting or guarantee that we will bring gun deaths down to 1,000 a year from what it is now," Biden

Obama sure talks the good talk, but he is precious short on delivering on those promises. And the liberals in the media, and the public suck it up.

reddevps said:

Let's force employers to lay off employees because they have to pay them more

Another brilliant capitalist at work. If you don't like the rules of capitalism, then don't get into the game, idiot.

Your off target and inflammatory remark ignores the ramifications of raising the minimum wage. But since you want to call people names, you expose your own hatred and ignorance and can't be reasoned with. Typical sophomoric antics with insults, put-downs and name-calling we've come to expect from the liberal online trolls. You defeat yourself.

So let me get this straight,

they want to positively identify, background check, and register my 12 year old grandson before I can give him a 22 rifle for his birthday, but any illegal, undocumented, and unidentified person can vote as many times as he or she can manage to get registered.

Sounds like a perfect plan to get Democrats elected.

Your'e liar in charge didn't say a thing about all the jobs that have been lost because of obamacare or the people who have been put on part-time. Only the beginning for job losses, but you beggars got your'e free insurance while the rest of us get it up the ass paying 20,000 dollars a year. This man is a fuc(king joke! He lied about everything last night saying all these things have already been done. When in fact they won't be done for decades. By then no one will be working and people will be out in the streets robbing each other because his regulations have caused so many businesses to shut down. Unless the next president reverses everything he has done this country will never be the same. It will be just another sh!thole like mexico, especially when he gets done letting the mexicans flood the country!!!!! Way to go libtards, you fu(ked up again by voting this liar back in!!

The reality is that the President is running his tenure like a campaign- Decreeing emergencies/crisises and using the media as a propaganda platform for his agends. Then, once he's put a focus on his topic du jour, he goes around the country campaigning without a solution. He's got the job so he doesn't need to go around campaigning at car plants for more votes, try doing the job.

Well that's the hard part, doing the job- it's a lot harder to do the job if all you do is talk about doing the job and villifying your legislature. Take for example jobs. The President campaigned a lot about creating jobs during his last term, gave out a lot of taxpayer money as "stimulus", conveigned a "jobs advisory board", and went after the Congress about the need to tax big companies more. Well last night he campaigned again about the need for jobs, but last week he shut down that jobs advisory board (and never met with them- used their knowledge). So maybe the formation of the jobs advisory group was just a nod to the media for some press time as in "See, I'm doing something" and now he's going it alone and starting up a new campaign. This model seems to resonate with the President. Remember that he immediately set up a GITMO shutdown team when he got into office? Well here we are 4+ years later and about a month ago he shut them down too. Remember his campaigning that revisions in taxation would better represent Americans of all economic levels? Well that just happened a few months ago and they are already squaking that they need more taxes from the rich. Same campaign slogan just restarted. Remember the "need" for nationalized healthcare and that it wouldnt' change anything to pass it? Well, now we are being campaigned to that the government needs more money or the coverage cuts will start. Remember how the President was staunchly anti-gun at the beginning of his last term(think Mexican President visit speeches). Well Fast and Furious didn't go well, so they let that burn down a bit and now he's back again parading victims as a means to campaign for gun control.

Summary, those that can work out solutions. Those whom can't campaign and influence peddle to push their agenda along. Pretty clear what we have here.

Lastly, if the President is so pro military and anti gun violence then why did he completely ignore the shooting death of the US' greatest sniper/hero- Navy Seal Chris Kyle (burried yesterday, no Presidential statements, visits, or press coverage) and he publicly commented and sent the first lady to Chicago to bury a teenager that sang at their inaguaration?? I think it's clear that the President has an agenda and a specific storyline that he's going to use to get his agenda fulfilled.

miklkit

Does anyone remember a decade ago when the POTUS stated in his SOTUS numbers and types of nonexistent WMD?

Bush lied and people died.

Last night the POTUS in his SOTUS talked about Driving forward to the future instead of Reversing back into the ditch.

#1.124

"It is best to remain silent and be thought stupid than to open one's mouth and remove all doubt."

from the UNSCOM report on Iraq's WMD Program:

After joining the Chemical Weapons Convention, Iraq was obligated to declare within 30 days any legacy stocks of chemical weapons it had inherited from the Saddam Hussein regime. On March 12, 2009, Iraq declared Bunkers 13 and 41 at Muthanna containing filled and unfilled chemical munitions and precursors, as well as five former chemical weapons production facilities, to the international body overseeing CWC implementation—the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, the Netherlands.

completely ignore the shooting death of the US' greatest sniper/hero- Navy Seal Chris Kyle

1.160

Answer: Because allowing PTSD folks on a gun range is LUDICROUS!

@ Pigotry, Job1, Feisty, Kaybee, Sailcat, et. al.

Just at quick survey here, "Do you love President Obama?"

1.158

dan42day

they want to positively identify, background check, and register my 12 year old grandson before I can give him a 22 rifle for his birthday,

YES...because that will show your grandson that there is consequences and responsibility of firing and owning a weapon..... and teach him that Grandpa is a law abiding citizen

any illegal, undocumented, and unidentified person can vote as many times as he or she can manage to get registered.

Well...that statement is over exaggerated poppycock Grandpa...so DO NOT LIE to your grandson. But...if someone DOES vote illegally, your grandson will know right from made up lies.

Sounds like a perfect plan to get Democrats elected.

Agreed!

RI Mom

completely ignore the shooting death of the US' greatest sniper/hero- Navy Seal Chris Kyle

1.160

Answer: Because allowing PTSD folks on a gun range is LUDICROUS!

#1.162

There are a number of successful programs, that involve guns, hunting, or target shooting for treatment of PTSD. You should Google it. The fact that you would post something so obviously ignorant of real world, shows me you have no grasp of the real world.

There is only 1 truth when it comes to the political thumb suckers in D.C. or at the state or local levels (regardless of their political affiliation/beliefs) & that is:

How do you know when a politician is lying? When their lips are moving.

Politicians are only worried about their own selfish interests & about covering their a**es when they get caught doing something wrong/illegal.

The fact that anyone trusts anything politicians say or do or thinks that politicians are looking out for the common serfs (sorry, honored citizens) is laughable. Unless you're directly connected to them (friends/family) or paying them off (lobbyist) they don't care about you. Keep drinking the Kool-Aid & living on fantasy island (this applies to all of your from both sides of the aisle or anywhere in between).

I personally don't trust any of them any further than I can throw them. None of them know me from Adam or give two sh*ts about me or my life. You might say I'm overly cynical but I think I'm just being realistic.

'm blaming Republican policies of the past several decades for the destruction of the middle classes.

Take recent history, the policies of the democratically controlled Senate and House from 06-10 were prosperous?

Wait, here it comes .... Scripted Finger pointing ensues

I'd say Caesar, it is all of the above and more.

of course you would, because the left lacks the spine to ever own anything...But you are good at placing blame....

LOL @ YOU LEFTIES

Georgia lawmaker has began the assault on the 1st Amendment.....

“No one has a right to make fun of anyone. It’s not a First Amendment right.” - Rep. Earnest Smith

You can't make this stuff up people.........

1. News for PTSD at gun range

   Gun range slayings prompt look at PTSD misconceptions
   Dallas Morning News (blog) - 6 days ago
   I recently talked to several mental health experts and Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans about post-traumatic stress disorder. The reason: ...

2. PTSD & shooting guns don't mix - Ft. Myers Political Buzz | Examiner ...

   www.examiner.com/article/ptsd-shooting-guns-don-t-mix - http://www.examiner.com/article/ptsd-shooting-guns-don-t-mix%252BPTSD%2Bat%2Bgun%2Brange%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26oe%3DUTF-8%26gs_l%3Dheirloom-serp.12...0.0.0.77085.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1c.X78a2hekklQ%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk&sa=U&ei=EuobUZaFJpHy0wGGtoGwAQ&ved=0CB0QIDAB&usg=AFQjCNE4yv-cRtyATDeDtFTyJVA47aCSew">Cached
   4 days ago ... PTSD & shooting guns don't mix ... A gun range can be a dangerous place ...Eddie Ray Routh seems to be suffering from PTSD, a common ...

3. Police: Man accused of killing ex-SEAL said he had PTSD, was ...

   www.cnn.com/2013/02/04/justice/texas-sniper-killed
   Feb 5, 2013 ... Former Navy SEAL killed at gun range. Kos: Kyle always ... Should vets with PTSD, mental illness still have access to guns? And he's already ...

4. Gun range slayings prompt mental health experts and veterans to ...

   www.dallasnews.com/.../20130205-gun-range-slayings-prompt-mental-health -experts-and-veterans-to-address-ptsd-misconceptions.ece - http://www.dallasnews.com/health/headlines/20130205-gun-range-slayings-prompt-mental-health-experts-and-veterans-to-address-ptsd-misconceptions.ece%252BPTSD%2Bat%2Bgun%2Brange%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26oe%3DUTF-8%26gs_l%3Dheirloom-serp.12...0.0.0.77085.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1c.X78a2hekklQ%26hl%3Den%26ct%3Dclnk&sa=U&ei=EuobUZaFJpHy0wGGtoGwAQ&ved=0CCQQIDAD&usg=AFQjCNHJjOROMjtvEMDNuuas0X1UiEnIMw">Cached
   Feb 5, 2013 ... Experts say vets struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder are no more prone to violence than the general population.

[...because the left lacks the spine to ever own anything...]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Now that's RICH! What a tool...

David Walker @ 1.8 is showing off again. Drawling (sentences, not vowels) is his speciality and "boorism" is the effect. He tries to come off like someone as wise and well read as Lincoln (can't happen) and the monotonous droning only shows the childishness of another Omama worshiper. Some day you people are going to see the light, but to late for many of you.

me(numbers)

how conveniently you neglect the 'conservative' side that contributed to the 'success' you tout. Jerry Brown, for example, in addition to raising taxes, cut extensively to reach the budget surplus

Dead wrong. If anything, it proves that the Republican argument that Democrats don't believe in spending cuts and/or only rely on tax increases and/or only want to spend and spend and spend is a ridiculous straw-man accusation. It was a Democrat who balanced the budget through spending cuts and tax increases (the same combination Obama and Democrats have been advocating all along on a national level), why should the "conservative side," as you call it, claim any credit?

To say that any spending-cut initiative is a tacit admission that Republicans have something right is tantamount to saying that the mere existence of taxes is an incontrovertible validation of the Democratic platform.

We don't live in the black-and-white world that Republicans believe we live in, my friend. The fact that Democrats believe in the need for government spending, and taxes doesn't mean they believe government spending and taxes are the solution for everything, much like any reasonable Republican would admit that government spending and taxes are necessary for, at least, some things. Where we differ is the extent to which those two things are necessary, not on whether they are an absolute necessity or an absolute superfluity.

Mr. Obama's agenda stated in his SOTU speech:

Invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, invest, and invest (14 TIMES) which equates to SPEND and more SPENDING.

Yep, same old song, same administration, same vision, same FAILED POLIICIES.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wait a minute.....the Progressives are more concerned about Congressman Rubio drinking WATER !!!

Typical Progressive mindset.

The liberals keep up the steady drumbeat of 'ban guns'.

Now they're wheeling out "gun reform".

STILL waiting to hear the liberal Grand Scheme for getting the criminals to give up their guns...

Where are the usual suspects? You know who you are...

Cruz is vying for McConnell's legendary legacy.

Most unhonorable american to ever walk our soil, let alone capitol hill.

If half of what you say was true then that would be a great thing. Unfortunately, reality is so far removed from it- sorry!

ProFreedom, you wouldn't know reality if it bit you in the crotch!!

reality ... bit you in the crotch!!

Ouch?

Why that location? Why that nasty?

That's probably why conservatives don't like 'reality'... it hurts.

Reality might be painful, but it sure beats insanity.
ProFreedom.

Reality says the MSN FACT CHECKER here on this website has already debunked many of Obama's claims !

I wonder if that will slow the liberal BJ that is going on with so many of the posters at this site ! The Sham-Wow salesman has ignored the actual STATE OF THE UNION .... and is once again SELLING high platitudes of Utopia !

Meanwhile, back at the White House, Obama is clueless how to pay for everything without increasing the national debt even more ......... libs ignore financial reality !

As the illogical and emotion fueled clamor over gun control is pushed aside by facts, sanity and reason, people begin to see Obama's anti-gun push for what it is, which is a long desired goal of disarming the American people using such shootings as a cover for his true agenda.

Obama knows his push is going nowhere but is compelled to mention it to placate his anti-gun zealot followers.

If Obama really wanted to address the gun violence issue he need only look to the main perpetrators of this violence, except to do so he would be looking primarily at those that look like him.

As of yesterday, the streets of Chicago recorded its 50th homicide from more than 213 shooting incidents.

As the illogical and emotion fueled clamor over gun control is pushed aside by facts, sanity and reason, people begin to see Obama's anti-gun push for what it is, which is a long desired goal of disarming the American people using such shootings as a cover for his true agenda.

Obama's "true agenda"? Talk about illogical and emotion fueled clamor! Or, in your case, paranoia...

If Obama really wanted to address the gun violence issue he need only look to the main perpetrators of this violence, except to do so he would be looking primarily at those that look like him.

Meaning 'black men'?? Cite a statistic from a reputable source that supports your allegation.

U.S. Troops killed in Afghanistan, 2012: 295

U.S. Military suicides, 2012: 349

WHAT IS YOUR TRUE AGENDA??

Kaybeetoys 2.7

Ah, there are none so blind as those who will not see. Paranoia, you say? How about Obama quoted as saying to rep McCarthy mid-way through his first term that he was indeed working on his anti-gun agenda but at the time needed to do it "under the radar". How about Feinstein stating her anti-gun proposals have been in the works for over a year just waiting for the right tine to push it. There are others, but I trust you get the picture.

Meaning black men? How convenient for you to not notice the vast majority of shootings on the streets of Chicago and other cities involve black men? Need more? Examine the prison population, and such information is readily available. You should do your own research but I think you will not for fear of finding out that which conflicts with your ideology.

Ah, there are none so blind as those who will not see. Paranoia, you say? How about Obama quoted as saying to rep McCarthy mid-way through his first term that he was indeed working on his anti-gun agenda but at the time needed to do it "under the radar". How about Feinstein stating her anti-gun proposals have been in the works for over a year just waiting for the right tine to push it. There are others, but I trust you get the picture.

I'm fine with an anti-gun agenda, just so you know... and I have been for many years. Ever since two of my friends lost children to gun accidents and two children lost their mother. I was anti-gun before I ever heard the name Barack Obama. I grew up with guns, so you know that as well.

You should do your own research but I think you will not for fear of finding out that which conflicts with your ideology.

If you post a phony 'statistic' the onus is on you to provide the documentation for it. I have neither the inclination or the time to waste chasing down your non-existent 'research'.

Auntie- oh mama! A reference to biting my crotch.

Mmmmm now you're speaking the right language love chunks!

Hey kaybee- bring your 'toys' and we three can have a real par-tay! lmao!

Marco really struck out last night, terrible response , Republicans better start looking for new blood, instead of relying on Marco and Jindal to save their party!

Pigotry

Pres. Obama is correct in declaring that a single-minded focus on deficit reduction would jeopardize the
nation’s future. And he sounded an urgent call to rebuild.

President Obama correctly asserted that “It is our unfinished task to restore the basic bargain that built this country — the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead, no matter where you come from, no matter what you look like or who you love,” Obama said. “It is our unfinished task to make sure that this government works on behalf of the many, and not just the few.”

.

Just look at Great Britain and Europe - in disaster because of austerity. Some Republicans don't have imagination. How can the GOP claim to be pro-business when they don't understand tax and spend or borrow and spend to boost the economy, so we will have more money in the economy, instead of just cutting cutting.

#2

There are so many things wrong with this, that for the moment I am only going to say one thing.

LIFE IS NOT FAIR. Never has been. "the idea that if you work hard and meet your responsibilities, you can get ahead" The way this is worded, it some how gives the impression, that Government is the great equalizer, and it will guarantee your outcome. Not the way the Founders set up the country.

But hey, What do you expect from a Communist, and his liberal followers

Reality? I don't live in it you say? Really? Are you being real with me or what?

I live in a realm of unprecedented debt, illegals from mexico invading my country, insane gasoline prices, and leaders who make promises they don't keep.

How's your reality? The one with rainbows, candy canes and unicorns? In any case, you still have my crotch to enjoy! Bon appetit!

Kaybeetoys 2.9

It seems you've validated my assertion that you will not do even the most rudimentary research for fear of finding out that which conflicts with your ideology. Or, perhaps you're just lazy. Phony statistics indeed.

I can make it easy for you but I already know it's to no avail:

The FBI's uniform crime report (www.fbi.gov) and the federal bureau of prisons (www.bop.gov)

I found the following statement informative:

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect go to prison in their lifetime.

Happy research

This Just In: President Plays Chess, Teapublicans Stare Vacantly At Checker Pieces, Say "What"

Last night's State of the Union speech was less about a Presidential agenda and more about

bench mark setting for the 2014 elections. It appears the President will be in full campaign mode

for the next two years at least, taking it to the mindless, parrot squawking, doubleplusgood, duck

speaking Teapublican lackeys. The President"s "laundry list" is, in reality, a ballot that the

Teapublicans have to run against. If Marco Rubio's robotic, kinesically denying speech is all the

opposition to the President has, then their trek into the primordial wilderness of political

obscurity has barely begun. Sucks to be them.

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, one in three black men can expect go to prison in their lifetime.

Happy research.

Back to the library with you, Wet Willy.

We were talking about gun violence.

It may be true that one in three black men end up in prison, but the proportion of the U.S. population that is black and male is less than six percent. Of those who do go to prison, not all involve violence with a gun.

There are more white men in prison than black men, and there is more gun violence perpetrated by white men than by black men.

Look up the numbers, Willy...it's all in the numbers.

Just to get you pointed in the right direction, Willy:

Inmates By Race

White:

129,682

(59.5 %)

Black:

80,811

(37.1 %)

Native American:

3,996

(1.8 %)

Asian:

3,408

(1.6 %)

http://www.bop.gov/news/quick.jsp#2

The GOP is not opposed to big government - just look at Reagan's vast govt spending in Star Wars (or missile shield) for fighting with the USSR. Reagan even expanded the welfare program - remember the EITC (the earned income tax credit in helping the poor)? Give Reagan credit.

.

George W. Bush vastly expanded the government after 9/11 in invading 2 countries, in enacting the PATRIOT Act (pig Brother gets even bigger - and still with us today). Also remember Bush also expanded the welfare state by passing the Medicare Prescription Drug benefits which have also given away billions of dollars worth of free bacon to the pharmaceauticals and thus increased the debt aND DEFICIT.

.

For the GOP to critize big government is just hypocrisy, and Government has actually shrunk during Obama at the federal and state levels - one of reasons why unemployment is so high.

Job1, Paul Rand. There's another not ready for prime time republican.

Let’s remember the bigger the Government the better we will all be. This talking point of smaller Government was a talking point that President Reagan started, and we all know how much expansion happened in the 1980s. So, don’t get in to the Republican argument of smaller Government. It’s a myth and a big lie that will never happen.

So, let the Government grow and expand, because that is how jobs and opportunities come about. Remember the expansion started by FDR that created GREATNESS!!!

President Obama spoke last night about our most fundamental right as citizens: the right to vote.

A 102 year old citizen waited in line for six hours to cast her vote in November.

Yet in the chamber of Congress, those very same elected officals sit on their butts and create one manufactured crises after another.

The call to action from the President and from the citizens in the gallery and voters all over the country have only one request: VOTE yes or no: on gun reform, immigration, infrastructure/jobs bill, raising the minimum wage.

Congress, the spotlight of the North Star shines on you , get moving and act.

While I do think there is such a thing as restraint in government, I cannot think of one small govenment country that is successful. The government must return to that of, a country of, by and for the people instead of where Republicans would take us to where it is a government of, by and for the corporation.

You could see the hate in Boehner. It consumed him just like it does the republican posters on this site.

job1 said:

Let’s remember the bigger the Government the better we will all be. This talking point of smaller Government was a talking point that President Reagan started, and we all know how much expansion happened in the 1980s. So, don’t get in to the Republican argument of smaller Government. It’s a myth and a big lie that will never happen.

So, let the Government grow and expand, because that is how jobs and opportunities come about. Remember the expansion started by FDR that created GREATNESS!!!

Wow, so you got a thing for Big Brother controlling every aspect of your life. Very scary.

Great speech, but doesn't he always give great speeches? It's executing his wild promises, that the bungler-in-chief has difficulty with....!

I'm sorry, Jobs, but I cannot agree with you. Government doesn't produce anything to grow the economy. The private sector does that. Government spends money it does not earn, so it has no sense of worth. The private sector does. Bigger government is not the answer. Look at any communist country and show me where they have prospered. And before you say China, that didn't happen until they begin developing the private sector by allow citizens to own business. No more central control. The scary thing is China has a lot more potential to grow economically, if the government would back down even more, which it looks like they are doing.

Wow, so you got a thing for Big Brother controlling every aspect of your life. Very scary.

A small Government is a weak Government. I want a big Government that carries a big stick, and is ready to get the job done around the World.

I have no hate in my heart,Mo,only sympathy for you when you finally open your eyes,and realize what is happening to our country.

What is happening to our country, DA BMAN, is that Americans are beginning to see through the lies, manipulation and greed of the GOP puppet masters. We are beginning to find our voices, as we have come to realize that Big Business is milking our country dry.

We are learning that this country will succeed or fail based on OUR input, OUR votes, and OUR commitment.

We are learning to look forward into the future and to leave behind the fear and ignorance that kept us chained to conservative dogma.

It is you who are in need of sympathy.

kaybeetoys, Our country is on a path to fiscal destruction. Right now, our national debt is over $16.5 trillion and nothing in Obama's plans come close to balancing a budget anytime in the near future. You cannot legislate Utopia without having the means to pay for it.

Growing government does NOTHING to bring in additional revenues ! Government feeds like an out-of-control cancer on the tax revenues generated from the private sector.

Fact checkers did not paint such a rosy picture of what the liar in chief had to say. Why am I not surprised his sheep are hailing the king. When this President is done with his time and history writes his "accomplishments" he will go down as the worst leader this country has ever had. Move over Jimmy Carter their is a new sheriff in town!

@ Kaybee

You mean these lies? http://news.msn.com/politics/fact-checking-obamas-state-of-the-union

“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”
― Frank Zappa

CBO forecasts growing debt even as economy recovers

http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/05/16854897-cbo-forecasts-growing-debt-even-as-economy-recovers?lite

Restored Payroll Tax Pinches Those Who Earn the Least

“You got to stretch what you got,” said Mr. Phillips, 51, a front-desk clerk and maintenance man for a nonprofit housing group who earned $22,000 last year. “That little $20 or $30 affects you, especially if you’re just making enough money to stay above water.” So he has taken to juggling bills, skipping a payment on one this month and another next month.”

“If you wanted to design a policy to squeeze the spending of lower- and middle-income households, raising the payroll tax is the way to do it,” said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at Pantheon Macroeconomic Advisors. “It’s very regressive.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/business/restored-payroll-tax-pinches-those-with-the-smallest-checks.html?hp&_r=2&

Federal Reserve Begins Massive Monetization of U.S. Government Debt

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sheldon-filger/federal-reserve-begins-ma_b_677483.html

(And that from the liberal HuffPo no less!!!)

Government's mountain of debt

(2011 numbers)

Medicare: $24.8 trillion - Obligation per household: $212,500

Social Security: $21.4 trillion - Obligation per household: $183,400

Federal debt: $9.4 trillion - Obligation per household: $79,900

Military retirement/disability benefits: $3.6 trillion - Obligation per household: $31,200

Federal employee retirement benefits: $2 trillion - Obligation per household: $17,000

State, local government obligations: $5.2 trillion - Obligation per household: $44,800

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/2011-06-06-us-debt-chart-medicare-social-security_n.htm

Will you just look at what you republicons have done hs321. Every study done shows that republicons are terrible at running the economy and you are showing us just how bad you are. This article is full of charts showing just who did what and when.

Daily Kos: Which party is best for the economy? It's not even close

Job1, well said. Rubio and Rand still think that it's how they talk about women that is their problem rather than the fact that their problem is their anti-women policies regardless of how nicely they speak.

Reagan was anti-govt, anti-tax, big on defense spending, hated social security and medicare. Reagan began the GOP's march down that road. BUT Reagan was a pragmatist and a realist who saw that those voo-doo (as Bush 41 called them) economic policies failed, he also saw the need for social security and medicare, etc. The problem with today's GOP, the Rubio/Paul/Ryan and friends crowd, is that they do not "get" Reagan, they do not look at the facts about what Reagan did and then stopped doing--instead, they believe the Myth of Reagan which the GOP created. Reagan would not recognize what today's GOP portrays him as or the party itself.

I want a big Government that carries a big stick, and is ready to get the job done around the World.

In other words, you want someone else to tell you where to work, what to do, what to eat, where to sleep, who to marry, how many kids to have, when to exercise. You don't want the burden of making your own decisions or worry about being a good employee. You can't take care of yourself so you want to pass on the responsibility to someone else.

In other words you want to be a slave.

jim-1455434

kaybeetoys, Our country is on a path to fiscal destruction. Right now, our national debt is over $16.5 trillion and nothing in Obama's plans come close to balancing a budget anytime in the near future. You cannot legislate Utopia without having the means to pay for it.

Utopia is not the goal. Bush lied us into a phony, expensive war and borrowed money to pay for it, at the same time lowering taxes for the rich. Dumb decisions that cratered our economy.

We have to invest money in our infrastructure and research to make ourselves globally competitive and to repair what Bush did to the economy. Our national debt is not the biggest concern. It is the sluggish growth of the economy. Republicans do not understand that we cannot starve ourselves into prosperity. We need to increase revenues by promoting businesses and jobs.

Growing government does NOTHING to bring in additional revenues ! Government feeds like an out-of-control cancer on the tax revenues generated from the private sector.

Obama has not grown government... in fact, he has shrunk it. He proposes cutting government spending further by cutting the most bloated item in the budget, the military.

“The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theater.”
― Frank Zappa

Nice quote, Zap. The "they" Zappa refers to is the GOP.

Gneisenau said:

In other words, you want someone else to tell you where to work, what to do, what to eat, where to sleep, who to marry, how many kids to have, when to exercise. You don't want the burden of making your own decisions or worry about being a good employee. You can't take care of yourself so you want to pass on the responsibility to someone else.

In other words you want to be a slave.

Exactly! Apparently some here like job1 and Jody, Iowa want a big gov't to be all things to all people. Countries like Russia do those very things. Hope you guys like eating gruel with prunes, working 16 hours a day at a job your big bro tells you to work at. You're making 'big government' your God who you believe worshipping its image will bring all good things to everyone. Obviously you've been brainwashed. Kind of like the Star Trek episodes where the Borg sought to assimilate humans. Consider yourself assimilated then! Enjoy!

What were you watching?

Rubio's meltdown.

Lil Michelle

What were you watching?

It certainly wasn't reruns of a page three girl on The Weakest Link.

Rubio is just not ready for the big stage. (and never will be) I almost feel sorry for the guy. (almost!) Imagine having to take the stage in front of the world, and try to come off looking sane after all the crazy crap republicans have been spewing for the last decade.

Marco Rubio and Rand Paul showed last night that they are rookies. Perhaps they should spend some time as Community Organizers, in order to get some experience on how real people live.

exactly what about his speech was off? Do you not agree with the immigration reform? Do you not agree with the family values references?

I would like to see specifics of what you thought was bad... I thought that he seemed rushed, but I thought that his message was sincere and concise.

BTW, go to factchecker and see what they say about President Obama's speech/lies.

Oh yes, family values references, by voting against the Violence against Women Act. He is trying to reserve his seat in the 2016 GOP clown car.

Lil Michelle

Ad hominem comes to mind.

Oh Lil Michelle you've been consumed by the radical right. You do realize most Americans don't buy into your family values crap anymore, you see you republicans talk family values, you just don't live family values.

Ad hominem against Marco or Obama?

BTW, how did that fact check go?

Silly lass, it was Marco who delivered an ad hominem.

Why should I visit fact check when my post is not about Obama's speech?

Can we PUHLEESE not feed this beast?

Beast? I thought it was a breast.

Thank you Mr. prez. We now have a firm grasp on the obvious. And that sermon on who deserves a vote got me misty. Perhaps a few more drone strikes will convince the non-believers. Peace love & understanding - the American way - or else.

Lil Michelle -

Rubio offered no new economic policies, in fact he did not offer anything different from what Romney offered during his failed run at presidency.

thought it was a breast.

BCWC,

I think you might be surprised if you gave "it" a reach around....

Do you not agree with the family values references?

Gosh, lil Missshhh, for someone hiding behind a pic of Ms. Love, please explain to us 'family values'. Better yet, don a pic of Anna Nicole Smith and blather on. While you are at it LIL simple mind, post a pic of Jesus and espouse your deep sense of christian values.

Uh oh, the liberal circle jerk is out in force today, Michelle, and YOU are not welcome !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How dare you mention the FACT CHECKER which point out ALL the lies and inconsistencies of Obama's speech ! The libs have not finished giving Obama a BJ and they do not want to be interrupted !

RedDevPS

not Ms Love ....

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Marsh

LOL @ Jim - yeah, not a peep from them on the lies/mistruths, is there?!

Truth does not play part of the conversations here, just kool aid and idol worship.

OK. Lil Michelle, I looked at factcheck.org. So, what's your point?

Yes, the truth was stretched in some places. Or the baseline or projection was different. Outright lies? Not so much.

Did you factcheck Rubio and Paul as well? Did you look at Politifact?

Oh but politifact is anything but unbiased ! This info, however, is boldly displayed right here on MSN !!

BCWC, well said.

LOL, what was off in Rubio's speech? Well, the whole thing was off. It was a reheated goulash of the same failed policies of Reagan, Bush and Bush. There was not one new idea in it; it sounded like Romney or Ryan's campaign speeches. You could read any number of GOP speeches over the last 30 years and see that it was same old, same old--government is bad, tax cuts are good, trust private business and banks because we don't need any regulation, and why worry about climate change because we can't change the weather; health care is bad, social security and medicare are evil as are government student loans (although I, Rubio, could only go to college with that government assistance and my dad lived his final years in dignity with social security and medicare; and my mom does, too).

Rubio contradicted his own ideology. That's pretty "off" when the point one is trying to make is disproved by the person making the point!

Oh Jody, you pathetically try to focus on Rubio because Obama got caught in a web of deception, half-truths, distortions and/or lies ! Have you read FACT CHECK on MSN today darling ????????????????

If you actually read the entire fact-checking statements, you will note that nothing the President said was labeled a lie. The fact-checking analysis admittedly went beyond the scope of what the President actually said and ignored the full scope of other statements. You know, like their adding an extra year to the jobs claim, and ignoring legislation the President signed that does double the mileage standard, etc.

Calling the Preident a liar was so last year.

Additional thoughts on Senator Rubio's speech, it was filled with lies. The same lies Romney/Ryan told, the same lies Boehner and McConnell speak. If anyone wishes to be taken seriously, then they must speak a majority of truth. Nothing about ObamaCare, taxes, spending, the size of government, medicare, social security that Rubio mentioned remotely resembled the truth. In addition, Mr. Rubio contradicted his own words, he denounced government assistance programs while claiming how much those programs helped him and his family--hypocritical at best, pandering at worst.

Marco Rubio seemed edgy, and angry. Worse, he threw a childish temper tantrum by claiming, more or less, that President Obama should stop picking on republicans, stop blaming them. Well, Marco, the GOPTP obstructed, delayed, denied and did everything it could to stop President Obama's efforts to dig us out of the mess Bush and the GOPers left, and to defeat him...now Marco whines that our President is picking on them. What, he didn't get a cookie yesterday? Petty, childish coming from this alleged rising GOP star, the "GOP's Savior", and possible future presidential candidate.

I thought it was possible that maybe - just maybe - Rubio would have a genuine plan. I had thought he was a lightweight, but WOW, was I wrong. After the first two minutes, I found myself hoping for a wide shot to see what they had tied to his feet to keep him from floating away. Rubio isn't even a flyweight.

He has been in the political world long enough to have been able to sort fact from fiction. He hasn't done that and he doesn't deserve the courtesy of a, "Well, maybe he was given bad information," excuse. Rubio is either just plain ignorant or a liar. In either case, he is not a fit candidate for any office, much less the Presidency.

Rand Paul is just plain stupid. Here he is giving answers to problems when we know his source of information is beyond tainted, and beyond rational.

This is today's Republican Party. Both factions fear the other. I could almost feel sorry for Boehner. Almost!

One of my favorite points by by: Mike Lofgren

Goodbye to All That: Reflections of a GOP Operative Who Left the Cult

"It should have been evident to clear-eyed observers that the Republican Party is becoming less and less like a traditional political party in a representative democracy and becoming more like an apocalyptic cult, or one of the intensely ideological authoritarian parties of 20th century Europe.

This trend has several implications, none of them pleasant."

There is not, nor ever will be a plan from the party of NO, that benifits the common American.

Their only plan is to continue to suck the middle class dry, and strip the country of it's natural resources.

If only Dr. Carson had delivered the speech, the one and only latest Messiah of the right-wing freak factory machine.

What abot the FACT CHECKER that disputes Obama's false claims ? Are you libs asleep .....again ??

jim-1455434

What abot the FACT CHECKER that disputes Obama's false claims ? Are you libs asleep .....again ??

Who the hell can sleep with you and Lil Mitch grunt rutting all over the fact checker mattress ... we have all seen your posts.

Yeah, I know you SEE them .... you simply do not have the GUTS to discuss them ! LOL !!

When the FACT CHECKER points out the lies, the distortions, and the half-truths .... lockstep extremist leftards simply choose to ignore the facts !

Ignorance is bliss, and the libbies are quite blissful today !

bcwc,

So what do you think about fact check and Obama's claims?

thetotas

bcwc,

So what do you think about fact check and Obama's claims?

Hi thetotas ... I have not been there as of yet. It is not what I am posting about. My concern has been for a number of years the demise of the Republican Party into a jim -144.. based shriek house. Republicans are losing whether Obama is good or bad. The country is going down the tubes because of a lack of investment and Republicans hide that fact by calling it spending. In other words, where the @!$%# is Eisenhower?

In other words, thetotas, bcwc doesn't want to answer your question because it makes Obama look a little less glorious that all the lefties would like to believe. Reality sux for them sometimes, so they focus on the fantasyland of Utopia that Obama offers .... much like the Pied Piper !

There is a lack on investment because the country is going down the tubes. Why invest in a losing proposition where Obama continues to raise the costs of production ?

The fact-check yelpers found a bone to chew yet fail to Fact Check the GOP. Rubio lied so many times last night, he almost fell over from the weight of his growing Pinnochio nose. I didn't need Fact Check to tell me that because I already have read the reports and realized Rubio was cherry-picking his data and that's fine.

What troubled me more about Rubio's speech than whether this or that was factual was the contradictory arguments he made with himself and the fact that he expressed no new ideas. While the right-wing focuses their whining on some information being incorrect or over-stated in President Obama's speech, my focus was on the vision within the speech, the ideas, the policies.

Every SOTU is an outline of the future; it is difficult to predict actual outcomes, costs because there is not specific legislation; speeches are rounded numbers, estimates and guesses; and often the FACT CHECKERS have a different set of reports or references than those used by the WH or whomever gives the speech. Whenever reading Fact Check, it is important to read the entire report because often times, the fact checker's basis for the score or whatever, is flawed. While groups such as FACT CHECK are worthwhile reads, it is often best to check other sources and determine the facts yourself.

For the whiners today because there were some things over-stated, did you whine about the Bush speeches FACT CHECKS--yellow cake in Niger?

Nathan, the Republican party will not be able to get by with the media's candidate, not with today's social media. Once these candidates take center stage they need to shine on their own.

Rubio couldn't do it.

I turned Rubio off half way through - I missed watergate! - but he really lost me when he said the financial crisis was caused by government regulation. I assume he means programs to help low income families buy homes, but studies show that people buying homes they couldn't afford, while contributing to the housing bubble, certainly wasn't a major cause of it, and was not the cause of the financial crisis itself. It was odd how he totally took corporations and banks off the hook for their malfeaseance. And then he says Republicans aren't simply the protectors of the uber rich?

Amy, maybe he meant all the regulations that the Repubs worked feveriously to gut going back to the '90s. But they don't need no stinkin' facts, remember?

With all there rantings Amy certainly missed the boat on what she refers to as watergate. Here it was for all to see on a national stage a bottle of Poland Spring Water, an advertisement no company would ever berate. Least of all one that hails from Amy's State of Maine. Apparently you have to be a stepford politician to be acceptable to a liberal.

@ Amy

He was absolutely correct on the government regulation. You just can't thank Bill Clinton enough for giving the banks, hedge funds, investors, & the rich want they want. Funny how many of these people have never been charged with treason.

The President should have opened with this tune

“I'm vile and perverted.
I'm obsessed and deranged.
I've existed for years but very little has changed.
I'm the tool of the government and industry too.
For I'm destined to rule and regulate you.
You may think I'm pernicious, but you can't look away.
I'll make you think I'm delicious with the stuff that I say.
I'm the best you can get... have you guessed me yet?
I'm the slime oozing out of your TV set....”

Rubio apparently doesn't have a clue nor does he realize that all those regulations which protected us since the Great Depression had pretty much been repealed and replaced with garbage by Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush. It was an economic collapse bound to occur. Remember the Savings & Loan debacle during Reagan's years after repealing regulations? That was a warning that went unheeded.

People buying homes they couldn't afford should never have been given the loans in the first place. I don't blame the people as much as I blame those who convinced them they could afford what they really couldn't and then gave them the loans anyway. Often realtors sold more house than the buyer needed by telling them that they could get more house because the interest rates were so low, forgetting to tell them that balloon mortages would make it unaffordable in a few years. I blame the bankers and mortgage loan groups for failing to question the buyer's real purchasing power; don't blame the homebuyer for the failure of the bank to properly check.

While there were some people who used bad judgement or let their dreams get ahead of their ability to pay for the dream, most home buyers were victims of realtors selling them more than they could afford and banks agreeing to risky mortgages they knew would fail....then selling those risky mortgages bundled into derivatives. Well, we learned how all those risky deals worked out in September 2008. Marco Rubio needs to study instead of spewing GOP talking points.

JustSlap Me,

It does seem like the GOP and their "new" spokespersons are still living in a time warp.

Rubio of course was not replying to the SOTU address.

He was rehashing the talking points from the last two election cycles.

The country has move on

it is 2013, time to get some things done, time to act, but the GOP is stuck on repeat, repeat...

Somebody ought to reintroduce records so we would have something to compare these guys to when they break.

The biggest shock of the night for me was when Chris Mathews said he voted for bush/cheney in 2004. But he seems to have regained some of his senses since then.

Is there any way to permanently ban this serial advertiser who continues to be a hated pop-up message ?

Steeler Fan,

Congress can do this in the next ten days.Vote on a gun reform bill.

Just VOTE and let the chips fall where they may

Tthat is what they are paid to do, and what they seem incapable of doing.

Northstar--well, Congress could do this in the next ten days EXCEPT they are going on another recess. That is a job I would like to have!

On voting for gun control in Congress:

Democrats get some backbone

Republicans get some sense

A simple vote in Congress does not overturn second amendment rights.

The 2nd amenement rights are well known and start with "well regulated". They are already regulated, just not well at all. That will change.

Picking two words out of context is very convenient for your DISTORTION !

Am I the only true conservative here!!!!!!

Check your preservatives bacon bits. :-)

Hahaha...bcwc

No, I will do a Cat-Scan instead??

Yeah "wink wink". You say that with a chuckle because you know it's probably true. I really enjoy coming on the 'vine to read the post's from those of you on the left, it makes me think that our local comedy club will always have new people coming through, you are all so funny.

The president could get up on any podium and tell you for the country's good, everyone must go outside and jump up and down on one foot for an hour every morning at 8:00 am and you all would do it NO questions asked. Get at least a half a clue people and just look into some of what he says, don't take it for gospel, sorry, didn't mean to use that bad word.

Their trying to hide after that debacle from Rubio last night.

Hey..bcwc...I am an Obama Conservative.

Pres. Obama is a moderate, having taken thunder away from the GOP in his first 4 years and it's a winning formula...in the same vein, I am an Obama Conservative.

bcwc ... I only have the uttermost respect for you. I hope you can take a joke...have some fun..that's one strength we conservatives admire about you liberals.

The debacle, MO, is the error/lie filled speech from Obama ! It is pretty sad when MSN counters much of Obama's lies and you liberals pretend it does not exist ! Oooooopppssss, an "inconvenient truth".

bcwc ... I only have the uttermost respect for you.

Yah, yah ... tell me about it in the morning. By the way, got a knife? I'm hogtied at the moment.

It must suck to be a republican Jim.

PIG - you failed to mention that you are also one of Obama's paid political TROLLS.

It must suck even more to be you Mo ! Your knees must be quite "dirty" by now.

Same here.

I miss that Ted Nuisance guy.

No, the biggest loser of your generation was Jimmy Carter.

What rock did you crawl out from under Steve? The one Rubio was standing on?

What rock did you crawl out from under

U R thus Stoned - BUI (blogging under the influence)? or getting punished in Iran for adultery?

Jimmy Carter's grandson, of course, brought down the candidacy of Romney with a tape of his speech. Carter got his revenge for all the GOP bad mouthing.

Do you know that Carter created more jobs per year than any republicon President ever has? That includes Reagan and Nixon.

Like King Olbamo going to Hawaii? Isn't the ball in Hussein's court now?

No troublet55, the President made a slam dunk. we were headed to Boehner's end of the court when he took the ball and went home.

Who is King Olbamo? I have never heard of this person.

I believe they gave the King an extension on his allowance, but he has to do his homework to get any more folding money? Slam Dunk? Please He gave the same lame touchy feely speech he always gives, this time he just brought more props to distract with.

Libs "wet themselves" with "touchy, feely" speeches ....but then FACT CHECKER blows Obama's claims out of the water !

Jim you're beating a dead horse.

It cannot be dead this quickly except in the minds of extremist leftards who deny the reality !

The truly FUNNY THING ... it appeared on the MSN first thing this morning !!! LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Cruz has taken over DeMint's position as the biggest scumbag teabagger in the senate.

PS - When you secede, Texas, please also take whatever the hell part of Oklahoma Senator Inhofe comes from with you since he decided to defend Senator Cruz's bull@!$%# attack.

Da Noid I am from Texas and as far as I know we have no plans to secede from the Union......and I as an Independent voter.....(I refuse to belong to either party!) Voted for Ted Cruz.........thought he did a really great job in moping the floor with Scumbag Hagel........I thought it was a delightful !

Cruzie is an idiot with a big mouth! Keep talking Cruzie!

He may talk secession but then he would have to let go of that BIG government check.

He actually listens to the voices in his head, that he is a rising star.....just like Rubio.

Is there a Cuban caucus in the TeaPeople?

As far as Ted Cruz is concerned, You can put all the lipstick you want on a pig. But at the end of the day, it's still a pig.

Cruzie is Canadian bacon, Job1.....ROFLMFO!

Voted for Ted Cruz.........thought he did a really great job in moping the floor with Scumbag Hagel

Texans do love there rags to politics to riches lore. How's ole Mad Max working there for ya, Nancy? I hear he is great at blaming his Valium popping dependency issues on his girlfriends. You must be one of his exes in Texas.

Which proves they are good for absolutely nothing productive. Bullshi*ing is their forte, just like the dictator-in-chief.

Sounds to me like you're a little jealous Mr. Steady.

Jealous of what? A bunch of liberals with such low self esteem they have to come on Newsvine and stroke one another's egos all day?

Mo, How can anyone be jealous of Obama being caught in a bucket of lies, distortions and half truths ?

How can anyone be jealous of Obama

By having to support all the lies Rubio told Jim.

How "cute" of you Mo ... to distort my message intentionally by clipping the words !!!!!!!!!

Only one problem there GENIUS .... my post at #14.4 is readily available to see, and seeing it will expose your deceit ! But then again, libs like you are really not concerned with integrity anyway.

That's what the cons constantly do--go to sleep until they see their policies, made for the rich, are being challenged.

Cons don't care about the country, they care only about themselves. yes, go back to sleep

Teabagger, what did ya think about Rubio? A real firebrand isn't he? Your pick for 2016. Really.