State Of The Union Address

[Luke_Wilbur]

With thundering claps from the Congressional Floor President George W. Bush

renewed his duty to the Nation. The President has caught the attention of the

world on his every statement.

[Luke_Wilbur]

As a new Congress gathers, all of us in the elected branches of government share a great privilege: We've been placed in office by the votes of the people we serve. And tonight that is a privilege we share with newly-elected leaders of Afghanistan, the Palestinian Territories, Ukraine, and a free and sovereign Iraq.

 

- President George W. Bush State of the Union

[Guest Jacob]

The country has chosen, now the question is how will four years of continued brain drain hamper this nation?

[Luke_Wilbur]

President Bush prepares to layout his ambitious social security agenda.

[Guest Jacob]

The Bush administration's refusal to acknowledge anything but capital gains and military supremacy will continue to alienate us in our own country and in the world for the next four years.

[Guest Jacob]

He brainwashed our Nation into a war with a 200 billion dollar price tag, which by the way is 250 times the initial aid pledge of our (benevolent) nation.

[Guest EveretG]

Verbally bashing our leader lets me and many others know we made the right choice last November. Its time for you to let go of the hate and accept that he is our leader....

[Guest Jacob]

I urge you to accept that this Nation is deeply divided. And also that encouraging those on the opposite side of the fence to leave if they don't agree is neither democratic nor civil.

[Luke_Wilbur]

"The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

 

Article II, Sec. 3, U.S. Constitution

[Luke_Wilbur]

The inaugural and the State of the Union are an opportunity for the President to speak directly with the American people about his vision and his agenda. And as I've spoken about before, the inaugural focused on the great goals we are working to achieve and the ideals we should always strive for, advancing freedom at home and abroad, and the philosophy behind the President's vision. The State of the Union is a detailed blueprint for achieving the great goals and ideals the President outlined in his inaugural.

 

- James S. Brady

[Guest Bloomberg]

President George W. Bush, pressing Congress to restructure Social Security, offered some details of his plan to create private accounts and said he's open to ``any good idea'' for shoring up the system.

 

``Fixing Social Security permanently will require an open, candid review of the options,'' Bush said in his annual state of the union speech. ``I will work with members of Congress to find the most effective combination of reforms.''

 

Bush's annual speech to a joint session of Congress in Washington marks the first step in a campaign to generate momentum for his controversial Social Security initiative. He travels tomorrow and Friday to five states where he's seeking support from Democratic senators on the issue.

 

The president, who started his second term Jan. 20, has said that he has two years at most to accomplish his goals, increasing pressure on him to find common ground with Democrats and reassure Republicans about the scope of his proposals.

 

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid tonight will call Bush's plan ``dangerous,'' according to excerpts of his response released by his office. Reid, of Nevada, and other Democrats such as Senator Jon Corzine of New Jersey say Republicans are manufacturing a crisis in order to privatize Social Security.

 

Americans ``deserve a realistic assessment from the president,'' Corzine said. ``The president should acknowledge solvency can be achieved without undermining the program.''

[Luke_Wilbur]

Two weeks ago, I stood on the steps of this Capitol and renewed the commitment of our nation to the guiding ideal of liberty for all. This evening I will set forth policies to advance that ideal at home and around the world.

 

Tonight, with a healthy, growing economy, with more Americans going back to work, with our nation an active force for good in the world -- the state of our union is confident and strong.

 

- President George W. Bush

[Luke_Wilbur]

I've appointed a bipartisan panel to examine the tax code from top to bottom. And when their recommendations are delivered, you and I will work together to give this nation a tax code that is pro-growth, easy to understand, and fair to all.

 

- President George W. Bush - State of the Union

[Guest Skeptical]

In his State of the Union Address, President Bush said again that the Social Security system is headed for "bankruptcy," a term that could give the wrong idea. Actually, even if it goes "bankrupt" a few decades from now, the system would still be able to pay about three-quarters of the benefits now promised.

 

Bush also made his proposed private Social Security accounts sound like a sure thing, which they are not. He said they "will" grow fast enough to provide a better return than the present system. History suggests that will be so, but nobody can predict what stock and bond markets will do in the future.

 

Bush left out any mention of what workers would have to give up to get those private acounts -- a proportional reduction or offset in guaranteed Social Security retirement benefits. He also glossed over the fact that money in private accounts would be "owned" by workers only in a very limited sense -- under strict conditions which the President referred to as "guidelines." Many retirees, and possibly the vast majority, wouldn't be able to touch their Social Security nest egg directly, even after retirement, because the government would take some or all of it back and convert it to a stream of payments guaranteed for life.