Tuesday, January 28, 2003

The Pulp Friction Response

First, I have to hand it to the excellent speechwriters the President used in crafting his state of the union address.
They drafted a speech that was succinct and without complicated phrases that would verbally trip up the President's delivery and make him look dense.
He needs to learn to pronounce "nuclear," and it's inexcusable that he refuses to do so.
That said, in his far reaching speech, the tax cut portion seemed delivered by rote without any discernible understanding on his part.
I failed to see how his budget proposals will create broad-based growth. Eliminated taxes on stock dividends, for example, doesn't have anything to do with helping any but the top 1% of Americans.
The Medicare topic also seemed like so many words without much substance.
Prescriptions for the elderly is tied to them leaving Medicare. Old folks shouldn't have to leave Medicare and move to an HMO to get prescription drugs. It's not a safe or secure option, and he swept that fine print under the carpet.
When the President mentioned the pandemic of HIV and AIDS in Africa and announced his proposal for a multi million dollar U.S. assistance package, I listened with great joy.
America has a moral obligation to be a benevolent force in the world. Africa is in dire need of assistance, especially with the HIV AIDS devastation that has swept every region in the area. The United States should help and it heartened me to hear a Republican address it. Reagan never mentioned the word AIDS in eight years. I applaud the President for his grasp of the crisis in Africa, and encourage him to address the problem of HIV and AIDS with equal zeal in our own country.
Faith based initiatives are not a viable option for drug abuse or AIDS treatment. There's a separation of church and state and it should be maintained.
Finally, the President's stance on Iraq was very compelling. He seemed to understand what he was saying and believe it with great conviction.
His most credible statements were on the topic of Iraq, and I am sure he was sincere in his aims, regardless of the wisdom they may lack.
Though the content of his speech tonight was filled with dubious claims and some political double-talk, I think he did a very good job of delivering his speech and came across as someone with a reasonable intellect. A refreshing change for the President.

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