State of The Union Address

Our President spoke to the nation last night regarding the issues we face going into this still new year. Unemployment, taxes, poverty and the plight of the middle class were top on the list. Fairness was a war cry for political cooperation between the parties. Much of what he said is important to all of us. I appreciate the hurdles he faces to getting things done his way. I respect his office. I have an opinion on some of the "work that has to be done."

I heard the word, "fair." a lot during his speech. Everyone is entitled to their fair share. I'm not sure about that. I was raised to believe that life is not fair, I am not entitled to much of anything I don't work for or contribute to in some way. If everyone got their fair share without working for it the shares for all of us would soon dry up. It's simple economics. Our annual budget is spending way more than is taken in on entitlements. We are operating on a deficit. How long can we do it with less and less people working and paying taxes instead of paying their "fair" share?

I also was raised with the idea that we behave responsibly. I just don't think our young people are being educated in exactly what that means. I love children! Third world countries are constantly wrestling with irresponsible runaway childbirth and can't provide food, clothing, housing or adequate health care to all those kids, let alone their mothers. In this country, with all it's resources no one should be turned away from basic, life sustaining health care for any reason, right? We probably agree. However, if people continue to bear multiple children they are completely unable to care for, our bountiful resources will soon be gone. Just like third world countries. A huge percentage of children being born in this country are born into poverty. Is it "fair" to do that? Where does the money for their care come from if the parents can't provide it?

The rich can't pay for everything! If a person works hard and earns a huge amount of money and it gets taken away to give to people that don't work is that "fair?" Will they still have an incentive to do what it takes to build a business that makes a lot of money when it just gets taken away anyway? Probably not. Why would they? Someone that hasn't done the building a business thing could not possibly understand what it takes. If a person has lived off the state all their lives how could they know the idea of business? Everything has always been provided to them because it's "fair." If a person has never held a job and only collected money from the government, like a lifelong politician, how would they know what "fair" means?

I agree something has to be done with the tax structure. But I don't exactly understand why the president always says his political party values are American values but those of the other political party are not. Who is he to say exactly what is American and what isn't? I'm just asking.

I felt a few words about the responsibility we bear as citizens would have been in order. Remember John F. Kennedy? "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Same political party. Different approach. Way different!