My State Of the Union Address

In light of the recent disputes related to President Obama's State of the Union address, I provide the address that the President should have given.

The address is only slightly longer than President Washington's initial address.

Full script is available at http://jimwoods.thinkertothinker.com/2010/03/15/my-state-of-the-union-address/

** Partial Script **

Fellow Citizens of the Senate and House of Representatives:

In accordance with our Constitution, I come before you to report on the state of our Union, and recommend necessary legislation to protect the individual rights of our fellow citizens.

Today, the state of our Union is precarious. Truly, the republic has seen more acute peril, met firmly the challenge of that day, and progressively expanded the liberty of our citizens. However, we are again at a critical moment of choice.

In these times, our Constitution is being challenged. Governor Perry of Texas has openly discussed secession. More than 30 states pay lobbyists to represent them to Congress and the federal executive branch. State legislatures around the country consider bills designed to nullify existing and potential federal statutes within their borders. Former Speaker of the House Gingrich, a potential presidential candidate, has called for the impeachment of judges who protect individual citizens rights from prosecutions by subjective majority opinion.

The bitter and thoughtless partisanship within our polity is symptomatic of our malady. Instead of reasoned discourse, vitriol and hyperbolical rhetoric exaggerates small difference for the sake of political theater and advantage. Worse, our parties encourage extreme factions--who seek to violate the rights of their neighbor--to partisan action.

Another symptom is our recent economic downturn that was exacerbated by government regulation, which previous legislators had falsely promised would eliminate risk.

Further, the expansion of the public domain has strangled the independence of our civil society. Government aid became government influence, but now metastasizes into government control. As everything becomes politicized our fundamental liberties have been checked and subordinated in the name of the governments interest.

However, our problems are more fundamental than these chilling symptoms. More than an unrestrained fiscal deficit, our republic suffers from a Justice deficit. Declining Achievement, falling Production, and constrained Freedom are the consequences of rising injustice. Ultimately, the metric by which we can assess improvement upon this Justice deficit is the degree to which the legislature, executive, and judiciary act to protect the individual rights of our citizens.

Instead of an expansive list of budget initiatives, I call your attention to four courses of action designed to address the fundamental issue of Justice and restore our constitutional balance by constraining unchecked executive power, averting a looming fiscal bankruptcy, ending national legislative encroachments upon state police powers, and restoring constitutional limits upon federal statutes.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• state
• of
• the
• union
• president
• congress
• supreme
• court
• obama
• roberts
• social
• security
• medicare
• substantive
• due
• process
• individual
• rights
• police
• powers
• unconstitutional

[qtronman]

But can you do it without a teleprompter?

[jwoodswce]

Q, Yes, but not briefly as I will become more expansive than the concise text.

[chris3443]

States are hiring lobbyists??

[jwoodswce]

C, Yes.

Ari Armstrong at Free Colorado had linked to an article about proposed Colorado legislation to hire a lobbyist. The article included details about how other states had been doing the same.

[qtronman]

I made that teleprompter remark in jest, as it seems to be the principal concern of so many pundits and critics of Obama. Individual rights don't even enter the picture.

[Twiggy269]

test?

[Twiggy269]

Your clarity of thought is outstanding J.

Not to make it sound as if my desires, are a duty placed upon you but, when are you going to write a book, so that I may buy it?

If your speech writing is an indication of how well you can put together exciting and provocative literature, you would be an amazing author.

Please respond with a link for me to buy your existing books if you're already published!

[PortfolioManager1987]

Great speech!

I love that photo of Grover Cleveland! (2:10)

President with the most vetos ;)