If you are one of these people, you are a mouthpiece. You are a regurgitator. You take what these opinionated people (who are paid to take a not-neutral stance on these issues), and you vomit it back out at your next dinner or wine function or whatever other pretentious activity you are taking part in. You're the same if you repeat what I type here. I'm flattered, but I'm also pissed.
But this is unfortunately the state of our union. We all love to bitch and complain about everything, but very, very few of us want to actually take the time to understand our problems, how we got here, and what our options are for fixing them. We get so mad about our congresspeople, we post silly things on facebook about how we shouldn't pay them if they don't do the work, and then we turn around and refuse to pay attention to anything they are doing. Imagine if your right to vote was taken away because you have no idea who your congresspeople are? We are hypocrites, through and through.
Which is why even though it's long and boring and sort of silly, I always make it a point to watch the State of the Union address. It doesn't matter if I like the President, or if I voted for him, and it doesn't matter that most of what he's saying is rhetoric and chest-beating hot air. It's like debates... most of what is being said is pointless, but you can still glean a lot of information out of it. During the State of the Union, what I watch for is body language, both from the President and from the different people sitting in the chamber. Their actions, their facial expressions, what they're doing while the President is speaking, it can teach you a lot about what the atmosphere is in Washington. In some ways, it's kind of fascinating... I mean it's still politics, but yeah. So through all the talking, here's what stood out to me:
Immigration
I think this is going to be a big one in 2013, and probably 2014 as well. Like it or not, the immigration situation in this country has reached a point where we can no longer ignore it. We have to do something about all the people who are coming here illegally. And I have to say, it sounds like for once, the sensible politicians on both sides of the aisle are willing to listen to each other and maybe even work together to get something done.
There are plenty of good people who have come into this country illegally. There are plenty of kids who were born here with illegal parents, and who had nothing to do with the fact that their presence here breaks the law. There are also plenty of criminals, druglords, and gangsters who come across the border every day. It's a mixed bag, and with such a wide variety and huge number, there is no way broad legislation can be fair to everyone.
That's why I look at this strictly from a taxing and financial standpoint. If you go at it that way, we should welcome every single person who comes here with open arms. That's because every single person we grant citizenship to begins to pay taxes and contribute to the system that they are milking. No more under-the-table cash payments for the undocumented... instead they get a legitimate paycheck (and are taxed on that paycheck) just like the rest of us. Sure, give them healthcare, but tax them on it and make them pay into the system like the rest of us. The more the merrier!
Now of course that idea does introduce some problems. Namely, our already-overcrowded jails will not be able to handle this new influx of criminals who will no doubt join the ranks of good people trying to get into this country. But that's another problem for another debate. In my opinion, we can't allow those types of down-the-road arguments to cloud the here-and-now.
What I am NOT cool with is this idea of allowing people who do not pay into the system to benefit from it. This hits especially close to home now that we're trying to get this whole Universal Healthcare thing up and running. I already have my reservations about paying out of my own pocket to care for some asshole who has smoked his whole life, or someone who has never worked out and is now a fat blob who can barely breathe. You add "someone who does not contribute and who is in this country illegally" to that list, and now you've crossed the line.
We've got to do something about this problem, because it's just going to get worse. And a damn fence along the border is NOT the right way to do this. Not unless it's a forcefield fence that electrocutes anyone and anything that tries to cross it. You know, star trek style.
Minimum Wage
I didn't realize minimum wage was falling so far behind the poverty line, but I agree with what Obama was saying about making it match the cost of living. What's the point of getting a job if you can't even live off it? Why do you think so many people buy into systems like welfare and food stamps? It actually makes more sense for them to collect from those systems than it does for them to go out and get a job. You know how you fix that? Make it worth your while to get off your ass and get a damn job.
My grandfather worked as a Sears delivery truck driver. My grandmother worked at AAA. These two were able to raise three kids in a modest, but comfortable environment on these paychecks. Can you imagine trying to do that nowadays? I get (and have argued) that there is a stigma now in this country that if you can't be rich, you might as well not even try... but I have to say that if there's no way to survive on minimum wage, there's really no point in bothering at all.
The way we strengthen this country is to empower people to take care of themselves. Part of that is removing the safety net, or making it more difficult to use that safety net. But first we must give people the ability to help themselves. Give them a fighting chance, or else we're all going to pay for it. Create a society where even the lower-end jobs can help people survive, and we will create a country where more people are working and willing to work.
Gun Control
Like it or hate it, you have to hand it to Obama. That guy knows how to work a crowd. And the rhythm he got into when he started talking about gun control was very powerful indeed. Of course it helps to have friendly media on your side, showing all the shots of people crying and affected by these violent crimes. Now you can argue that using the tragedy in Newtown is not cool, or by bringing victims into the chambers you are aiming low... but I have to say I disagree.
Why bother with gun control at all? Because were shot and died. Lives were ruined, families were torn apart. Think about how you felt that day, watching those little kids scared out of their minds trying to understand what the hell just happened to them. If I'm trying to make a point about gun violence, you're damn right I'm going to bring that up.
Now this may sound like a departure from an earlier statement I made, but I disagree. My first statement on this was that I was pissed about Obama's initial press conference, in which he talked about the tragedy and used it to open the door on gun control. Take time to focus on the victims, don't sit in the wake of a tragedy like that and try to push a political agenda. But now... now is the time to have this discussion, and I think the way he brought it up was effective.
"You Deserve It"
My biggest problem with this State of the Union speech, with President Obama, and really with the entire Democratic position right now, is this whole idea of "you deserve it." There was a lot of language in this speech about how you've worked hard and you deserve a "fair shake." But what's ironic about that is Obama is not talking about being fair at all. Taking money from the rich and redistributing it to the poor is not fair.
Now don't get me wrong, I completely agree that there are people in this world who are making WAY too much money. There are people who have stepped on other people, people who have cheated the system, etc. But there are also a lot of people who have sacrificed and worked extremely hard for the money they've earned. Take someone like Dan Cathy, the dude who owns Chic-Fil-A. Good guy, nice guy, honest guy. Runs a very successful company that does right by everyone who comes in for those sweet, sweet nugs. And you're going to penalize him under this system? That's not right.
I believe in a system where the harder you work, the more it pays off. But I also believe in a system where we the people take charge and force that system to work. We should look at companies that don't do right by their employees, and we should work elsewhere. We should encourage competition and help bolster those who do the right thing. We should refuse to shop at places that mistreat or do what we don't want (like send work overseas). We should stand up for those who hire American and who build quality products with the consumer in mind instead of profits.
But we don't do that, because like I was saying above, none of us pay attention. We don't want to! We'd rather buy from Apple and forget the fact that they outsource all of their work. We'd rather buy a Chevy because it SAYS it's American, when in fact it is a lot less American than a Toyota. We don't want to truly learn about what we're buying or what we're doing or who we're working for... we'd rather just have all that done for us!
And that is why the Democratic message is so appealing right now. Unfortunately it's also why it's so dangerous. We the People have reached a point of complacency that makes us ripe for being destroyed. We are basically asking the government to do the work for us. We are begging them to take control. And then we complain about our lack of privacy and how companies (and the government) know too much about us. We complain that there are surveillance cameras going up all over cities, and yet we want the government to determine which companies are best for us to shop at and penalize the ones who found a loophole. We get mad that facebook caters ads to us by using our personal information, yet we would rather blanket-rob all the rich folks because it's not fair for them to have money when we don't.
This "you deserve it" message is not good. It's dangerous, and it will lead to trouble for all of us. But you can't blame the Democrats for riding it. It's what people want to hear. It's what we're asking for... and whether Republicans are too dumb to realize that or won't buy into it out of principal, they are going to continue to lose as long as we, the citizens of the United States, continue to be lazy and complacent. Wake up people.
One last thing I want to say about the SOTU. I was extremely disappointed in the response speech. Not by the speech so much as the fact that Marco Rubio reached for that damn bottle of water. The instant he did that, I knew that any effectiveness his speech had went right out the window. I knew that the next day, all the news organizations would be talking about that drink of water. The drink heard 'round the world. Watergate. Pathetic.
What's sad about this is the cascade effect. It's sad that Rubio had to so awkwardly reach for that waterbottle, instead of feeling comfortable enough to take a drink when he was thirsty. It's sad that he knew that we as a country focus so much on appearance that he felt weird doing that. It's sad that media would latch on to something like that instead of the content of his speech (which was actually pretty good). It's sad that a reach for a water bottle trumped even the content of the SOTU speech. And saddest of all is that we as Americans were completely, utterly gripped by a damn drink of water.
Politics have become reality television. We are treating these candidates and politicians like contestants on American idle. I half expected a cutaway to Simon or Brittany Spears, and then an introduction by Ryan Seacrest. That's what this has become for Americans. We would rather see a young guy who is obviously nervous but trying to do right by this country falter, than actually pay attention to the important stuff he (or the President for that matter) have to say. Awesome!
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go drink away my sorrows...
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