www.whyville.net Jan 30, 2004 Weekly Issue



CoolEd17
Guest Reporter

The State of the Union

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My Fellow Americans....

These words are famous as the opening phrase of the State of the Union Address by the President of the United States. For those who don't know, this is the annual report given to Congress on the condition and goals of the nation.

During this speech, which is required by the U.S. Constitution, President Bush addressed such issues as terrorism, education, healthcare, jobs and terrorism. (Yes, I did mention it twice -- he mentioned it more.)?? President Bush seemed to place the issue of terrorism at the top of his agenda, working the topic into almost every part of his speech.

One of the marks of approval for a president is how much applause he receives during his speech, though there is always a LOT of it. President Bush got about 72 rounds of applause from a crowd including both houses of Congress, a Supreme Court justice, the President's cabinet of advisors, and guests who attended by special invitation.?? Editor's Note: Anybody know how to find out how many rounds of applause previous speeches have gotten?

President Bush spent some time on the issues of unemployment and the economy. In the past couple of years, the U.S. economy has been in a recession, but in the last year, according to Bush and many experts, the economy has risen out of recession and is once again healthy. The president stated that the home ownership rate is at its highest ever and that unemployment is declining.

President Bush's now famous "No Child Left Behind" education plan was also mentioned. The President hopes to improve the nation's standards of education with what he calls "opening the door of opportunity to all of America's children." For more on this policy, see http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/compassionate/education.html.

The President triumphantly talked of national security and the progress in Iraq, promising "to prepare for a transition to full Iraqi sovereignty by the end of June." This essentially means that there will be an independent government in Iraq by summer 2004. This is a bold statement, especially considering the limited progress toward government in Afghanistan. Anybody remember that place?

Bush has emphasized the international coalition in Iraq in response to comments that the U.S. has acted alone in its crusade. However, the President appeared to mock the country's UN allies when he stated that, "America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country."

The President also promised that the budget he will send to Congress will cut down on discretionary spending and that he will "cut the deficit in half over the next five years." This will be quite a feat, considering that the current budget deficit is $375 billion, and he wants to keep the latest tax cuts, not raise taxes.

I felt the President was using the State of the Union Address as a campaign speech, which it is NOT intended for. While this may just be an assumption on my part, I think President Bush may be using his position to further his chances of reelection in November.

Peace out!

-CoolEd17

And remember, support the President by saying "nucular" (a mispronunciation of nuclear) with great frequency!



Sources:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040120-7.html
http://www.cbpp.org/1-16-04bud.htm

 

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