Last night President Obama made his 2nd State of the Union address and I came away with mixed feelings regarding the speech. I felt the speech was more his 2012 campaign kick off speech, than a state of the union address, but in this vicious political game, this is what I expected. “We do big things” was the quote of the night and it could mean a lot of things. In President Obama’s world, “Big Things” involve Big Government. While a large portion of the country wants a smaller more efficient government, Obama and the Democrats’ vision of a nanny state with massive and intrusive government is the way to go. In 2012, this again will be what the political battle and landscape is about. A big government strategy will always fail in America. It’s not the way this country was built.
I’m not an “Obama Hater”, there were some things I agreed with him on in the speech (gasp). If America is ever going to stay competitive, we must do better in the way we are educating our kids. Curriculums need to be re-vamped. There should be merit pay for teachers. Charter schools and vouchers must all be put on the table. Obama’s bread and butter are the unions, so it will be interesting to see how he deals with that down the road. Education should be a non-partisan, non-special interest group (unions) issue. From a global perspective, all American kids are being left in the dust by other countries who take education more seriously. From an urban or rural perspective, the education gaps are even wider. If this is truly the land of opportunity, all kids must have the opportunity for a good education that will make them able to compete in the new global workplace. More funding in community colleges will be essential for the future. I don’t know if this is our “Sputnik moment”, but real education reform is necessary.
Now, to discuss a few of the elephants in the room that he really managed to dance around: Jobs, Budget, Obamacare, and Government Spending. Jobs, which I think should be the most important issue on the table, did not sound much more promising than last year. I would have liked to hear a clear concise national plan on how to get people back to work. All of his proposals sound expensive with new spending items, when people are demanding cuts. More paved roads??? I was trapped in my neighborhood last summer because of the stimulus plan construction. More spending on green energy, that’s a joke. Let the private sector do it and keep the government away from choosing the winners and losers. The current health care bill will not be repealed anytime soon, so make improvements on the current bill that make it more economically palatable. A freeze on domestic spending is a start, but cuts need to be made. The biggest issue that needs to be tackled for the sake of generations to come is the deficit and social security reform. Social Security has to change or it will bankrupt this country. There will be no Social Security for my generation, if we continue at this rate. That will be the tough challenge for either side to deal with, but somebody has to do it.
Overall, if I had to give the President a grade on the campaign speech, it would be a C. It had some great ideas and big promises, but was very short on details and specifics, just like 2008. Oh, except taxing the rich and job creators, that is his only precise plan on taxes. He is an excellent speaker, so he can really mesmerize people with his oratorical skills. His approval ratings are going up and if the economy improves, he will continue to rise in polls. I don’t see why this speech won’t give him a small boost, too. It’s hard to bash him, when his speech lacked any details to criticize. Things to watch will be how he handles immigration, his amnesty programs, and if he be serious on reining in spending. It’s time for some action, not just hollow words, tired clichés, and empty promises. From the campaign speech he gave last night, President Obama knows he’s on the clock. Mr. President, let’s do “Big Things” without Big Government.
Wayne Bradley is a conservative radio host and political pundit. You can listen to his show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/conservativeiscool
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About Wayne Bradley
Wayne Bradley is a blogger on Conservative Bro and the host of The Wayne Bradley Show. 
