The Endicott Enquirer News from the Southern Tier

State of the Union: Same as Last Year + A Slowing Economy

Ok, so I know I will be ripped apart by the conservative readers out there for this but was there anything new in the State of the Union address this year? Here is my summarization of the address:

1. Let's accomplish more in a bi-partisan atmosphere
2. The economy is slowing
3. The war in Iraq is and will be successful
4. No Child Left Behind is successful
5. Let's make my tax cuts permanent
6. The housing market is still in trouble
7. Stop putting ear-marks in spending bills
8. We need to develop alternative energy sources and people tell me we have a thing called "Global Warming" going on
9. By the way... If you attempt to send me anything that isn't exactly what I want, it will be vetoed. How's that for bi-partisan action!

So rather than saying what will be coming this year and all of the great things we are going to do, President Bush dwelled on the past and tried to convince us that he had done a good job in the past year. Shouldn't the achievements of the past year speak for themselves? Should we need this speech to try and convince us that everything finally went to plan? I would have liked to hear some plans for things that he hopes to accomplish that maybe are not what he would have attempted earlier in his presidency. Instead we got a regurgitation of what has already happened which is not what should be said in this type of forum.

I guess I am just a disappointed moderate that really has become completely disillusioned with the current administration. All I seem to ever hear are hollow promises and arguments that use half truths to try and convince me that things are not as bad as they sound. The only good thing to come of this presidency is that it has energized the population to finally take who they elect as president seriously again and get out there to make a choice. I just hope it is the right one.