Some quick thoughts following the Presidents state of the union speech tonight: Right away he reminded us that as bad as things have been -- terrorism, recession and war -- we have much to be grateful for in this exceptional country today. An economy that is outperforming much of the rest of the world; crime and incarceration falling dramatically at the same time; a war in Afghanistan that numbers American combatants in the thousands instead of tens of thousands; higher graduation rates and a lower unemployment rate. I liked the forward-looking, optimistic tone that he used for the remainder of the speech. Focusing on what is ambitious but possible. A number of priorities are clearly national in scope and defy partisanship, especially when there arent specific policies attached to them, things like: promoting educational achievement, reducing income inequality, making the tax code easier to understand and fairer in its application, doing more for our veterans, investing in infrastructure including the internet, and deploying our armed forces in a much more thoughtful way. Of course, the disagreements become evident in the details. Whether its raising taxes on some to provide opportunities for others, or pursuing diplomacy instead of additional sanctions with Iran, there are deep divides in Congress on the means to achieve these common goals. My hope is that the President, representing the national will following two national elections, can help us to define what is possible and worth pursuing; and that the Congress, representing the unique experiences of our constituents, can work, propose, debate, argue and finally decide on the manner in which we will fulfill our responsibilities to those we serve. Thats my quick take on the speech, Id love to read your thoughts, hope youll feel free to comment below.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 04:45:35 +0000
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