Analysis of Bush's State of the Union Speech

President Bush, poised and poignant, delivered a powerful speech of the State of the Union. The so called, "War on Terrorism," is just starting and we watched and listened to the President outline his administration's focus and efforts on reviving the economy and the direction of the war. Permanent Tax Cuts got a standing ovation from the right-side of the House that night, while a Patient's Bill of Rights got more praise from the left-side of the House. However, President Bush did not follow the campaign promise of less government. It seems as if George W. Bush's proposals of increased expenditure and expanded programs seemed on the far-left rather than right. In addition, rather than providing an end goal to terrorism, it seemed as if this war would continue into other administrations as well. To fight a country is one thing...but to fight a group of people distributed sparsely around the world will need more money and power that the American public should not bear alone. Furthermore, the necessary military action against those responsible for September 11th should have a finite goal instead of an infinite agenda of eliminating terror. When will terror end? This rhetorical question is one for the ages.

With this State of Union address President Bush should have outlined more limited government and the elimination of other government programs. The Republican Party claims to desire a state of less government and less taxation, I believe that they should be held to their platform that distinguishes them from the Democratic Party. Overall, the Bush speech was a good powerful speech, however it did not hold true to conservatism and lead the Republican Party into a more moderate road.

Liberty Tattoo Program

Are you a victim of having a tattoo? Can you not get a job promotion or even get hired for work because you have a tattoo? Do you feel unfairly stereotyped because you have a tattoo? If you said "yes" to any of these questions then you need to move to San Luis Obispo County, California where they have their Tattoo Removal Program under their congresswoman Lois Capps. If you said "no" to these questions then you might want to know where the funding comes from to help those that are victimized from their decision to bear a tattoo.

The headline reads, "Rep. Capps Secures Funding for San Luis Obispo County Tattoo Removal Program" as if it were a service to the taxpayer. $50,000 will go into this program in San Luis Obispo County and we, as taxpayers, pay for this. Compared to other spending bills, this bill is a drop in the bucket. However, we must keep in mind the principle that goes behind such a scheme. Maybe your county is next in line to take your tax money and pay for other's poor decision to get a tattoo that may hinder their job success. Are you ready to dish out some of your own cash for this cause? Were you the one that made them get a tattoo? Why are you being punished for something that was not your decision?

For those that do have a tattoo, I am not trying to say that it is entirely bad. However, I believe that it is your responsibility to pay for the removal process if so desired, instead of getting funds from the United States Government to pay for such a program. Do you agree with this quote?

"People with tattoos often find themselves being unfairly stereotyped in a way that makes it difficult to find employment or be promoted to higher, better paying positions. The Liberty Tattoo Program works with people in our community to help erase this social stigma. I'm proud to work with this excellent local program to expand the services it can provide with the help of federal funds," said Rep. Capps."

If this infuriates you then you can read more here:
Rep. Capps Secures Funding for San Luis Obispo County Tattoo Removal Program - Straight from the House of Representatives' website.

Oh yeah did I mention she was a Liberal Democrat which believes in the Big Government philosophy with this line, "The funding will be used to hire a full-time program coordinator and for education to deter students from getting tattoos." Cast your vote in the next election Ladies and Gentlemen!!!

Bush Administration on Terrorism 101

You have all read the article titled Clinton Administration on Terrorism 101, now it is time to expose the Bush Administration on Terrorism 101. Crack open the books, get online, and get your pencils ready for another article on this administration and how it tries to take away your rights to... free speech and privacy. I realize that we are going through a hard time and we must be cautious on what we say and do. However, Bush is quoted saying

Mr. Bush also used the Portland speech to suggest for the first time that voicing a terrorist creed would be viewed by his administration in the same terms as committing an act of terrorism. He told the crowd that anyone "who espouses a philosophy that's terrorist and bent, I assure you we will bring that person to justice." His aides did not elaborate.

Source: Bush, on Offense, Says He'll Fight to Keep Tax Cuts - Yahoo! News (January 06, 2002)

Do you agree with this statement? How can we accuse somebody of terrorism with just the slight mention of an act that could be thought of as a terrorist act? Of course, this is within due reason, nevertheless we must watch for Legislation that restricts our opinionated voices and our own privacy.

I recently saw a movie trailer about a special police task force to arrest people of crimes that they will commit in the FUTURE. I really didn't catch the title of the movie from my constant rolling of eyes and bitching that it was a politically motivated film. However, are we moving towards a society of laws that prohibit men to speak out on unpopular beliefs? This is what our forefathers fought for, the Freedom of Speech, to protect those ideas unpopular to the mainstream public. Galileo was imprisoned because he thought that the Earth revolved around the Sun (a helio-centric model)...and He was Right!

Then we come to recent legislation that involves your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and the government. The Government has asked major ISPs to install software to look for keywords or browse through your email accounts for terrorist activity. This may work temporarily, however I do not what to see this software illegally used to profile American Citizens that have no part in wrongdoing. I do not agree with this type of monitoring due to the possibility for its illegal usage. Remember, there were other things that were supposedly temporarily enacted such as speed limits and massive federal taxation. Let's hope this does not follow the same path that I fear it will.

In conclusion, Watch Your Back from abuse of governmental powers. We have to remember that politicians are our public servants, however they can only stay that way unless re-elected for another term. This thus brings greed, scandal, and other un-lawful means to remain in power. Read up on current issues that may be happening right under your nose and keep in touch with your state representative and senator. Trust me, they always want to know where the public's interests lie.